A BJP delegation left for Delhi on Monday morning to meet the Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla over an alleged "attack" on Kirit Somaiya by Shiv Sena workers in Maharashtra. The BJP delegation includes MLA Mihir Kotecha, MLA Amit Satam, MLA Parag Shah, MLA Rahul Narvekar, Vinod Mishra and Kirit Somaiya, reported news agency ANI.
Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said they will complain to Union home secretary against the Mumbai police's "failure" to protect former party MP Kirit Somaiya, who enjoys 'Z' category security. Talking to reporters in Pune, Fadnavis also claimed that people of Maharashtra feel there should be president's rule in the state, but the BJP is not going to demand it.
On Saturday night, some Shiv Sena supporters allegedly hurled footwear and water bottles at Somaiya's SUV when he was leaving Khar police station in Mumbai. Somaiya had gone to the police station to meet arrested independent MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana, whose earlier call for chanting Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree' had angered the Sena cadres.
The BJP leader had tweeted that he was injured in the attack by "Shiv Sena goons".
On Sunday, Fadnavis said, We will take up with the Union home secretary the issue of Mumbai police's failure to protect Somaiya, who enjoys 'Z' category security cover. Either the Mumbai police indirectly supported the act (of attack on Somaiya's car) or they have become inefficient to take any step against the attackers. The current performance of Mumbai police is highly embarrassing, the leader of opposition in the state assembly claimed.
