Mumbai, Nov 1 (IANS): The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra on Friday again demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should transfer the state Director-General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla to ensure 'free and fair polls' in state on November 20.
Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut has claimed that Shukla is "still tapping the phones of Opposition politicians, while state Congress President Nana F. Patole has shot off three letters to the election authorities -- on September 24, October 4 and yesterday (October) 31 -- and also met the ECI delegation to Mumbai last month with the demand to remove her.
"She has ordered Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police to file cases against the leaders and workers of the MVA opposition parties to harass them. Shukla's record has been controversial even before as she had ordered tapping phones of Opposition leaders," Patole said.
Raut said that "even now, the phones of Opposition leaders are under surveillance", and state or district leaders are being harassed by the police while local workers are being forced to cooperate with the police or being externed, though neither the ECI nor the DGP reacted.
Under such circumstances, there are doubts if there can be free, impartial and transparent elections in Maharashtra, "and why should the laws be different for Maharashtra and Jharkhand", pointed out both Raut and Patole.
The Patole-Raut duo reiterated that despite her controversial track record, "it was with the blessings of MahaYuti ally Bharatiya Janata Party's Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis" that she was brought to the top post – and later given an extension of tenure.
Intervening in the tussle against the DGP, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane took a jibe saying that "whenever Raut hears the name of Rashmi Shukla, he loses sleep", terming her as an independent and upright officer.
"If you are contesting the elections properly, working in a democratic manner without flouting rules, then why should you object to her appointment,” wondered Rane.
Patole-Raut also recalled how Shukla was accused of tapping phones of the Opposition, an enquiry was held after which she had tendered an apology to the previous MVA regime headed by ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray.