Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal slams Fadnavis as 'Godfather of criminals', demands probe into police actions

Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal has alleged that the police are keeping him under surveillance. Sapkal resides at the Sarvodaya Ashram in Nana Chowk, Mumbai, where the police have been continuously monitoring his movements. 

This morning, a policeman in plainclothes directly entered his bedroom to conduct surveillance and questioning. This has happened for the third time. “On whose orders are we being watched?” Sapkal asked. Speaking to reporters at Tilak Bhavan, Sapkal said, “In the morning, a policeman entered my bedroom and began inspecting and questioning me — asking if I was going to hold a press conference and whether journalists had arrived. When I asked why he entered my room and on whose orders, he said it was under senior officers’ instructions and asked me to talk to them on the phone.”

He alleged that opposition leaders are being spied upon in this manner. “Are these actions being carried out on the orders of Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis?” Sapkal questioned, adding, “This is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s tendency to monitor its opponents — first Pegasus, then phone tapping, and now they’ve reached our bedrooms. But we will not bow down to such intimidation.

Sapkal said that the police conducted an encounter killing a man named Rohit Arya, who had taken children hostage. “While rescuing the children was important, the manner in which the entire incident was handled raises serious questions,” Sapkal said. “When an NSG team was already present, why did the police shoot him dead? The man was reportedly mentally unstable, yet he had earlier worked on government initiatives such as Sundar Mazi Shala (My Beautiful School) and had shared platforms with then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar. This incident needs a thorough inquiry,” Sapkal demanded.

Fadnavis, alleged Sapkal, is the "Godfather of Criminals".  “Dr Sampada Munde was forced to commit suicide due to pressure — this was not suicide but murder. BJP’s former MP Ranjitsingh Naik Nimbalkar has been named in the case. Despite his involvement in kidnapping, extortion, and assault cases, the state government gave him a clean chit without any investigation. 

He added that in Sindhudurg’s Banda, a flower vendor committed suicide due to harassment by five BJP office-bearers. Before dying, he recorded a video explaining his reasons. Police ignore common people’s complaints because those in power themselves indulge in hooliganism. Under Fadnavis, criminal tendencies have flourished, and BJP leaders’ gangsterism has increased. Fadnavis alone is responsible — he is the godfather of criminals.”