Mumbai, April 3 (PTI): The opposition NCP has demanded that the state build a memorial for the late R R Patil, the party leader and former Maharashtra home minister who died in February this year.

NCP MLC Prakash Gajbhiye, speaking during a discussion on law and order situation the state yesterday, made the demand.

"If the government can build memorials for late Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, why can't the government consider building a memorial for R R Patil, who dared to ban dance bars and implemented revolutionary schemes like Sant Gadgebaba gram Swachta Abhiyan and Mahatma Gandhi Tantamukti Abhiyan?" Gajbhiye said.

He also attacked the Devendra Fadnavis-led government for increase in incidents of atrocities on Dalits, and claimed that the backward classes did not feel safe in the state.

"Dalit and women atrocities cases have only increased in the BJP regime. Even the police are not safe here anymore as we recently saw that a policeman was murdered when one of his own colleagues gave a tip-off to a history-sheeter who was able to murder him without any difficulty," Gadbhiye said.

Gajbhiye further said rationalist Narendra Dabholkar and CPI leader Govind Pansare were not rich, but were still assassinated for vested interests.

"How much money did their murderers receive to kill them? Rich people are murdered for money, but Dahbolkar and Pansare were social activists...The state should nab the culprits," he said.