Raut says fair election in Maharashtra impossible till DGP is replaced

Raut’s remark came a day after Maharashtra Congress reiterated its demand of removal of Ms Shukla from the post of Director General of Police (DGP). The Congress pointed out that when the BJP demanded removal of Jharkhand’s DGP and West Bengal's DGP, they were replaced but the Congress’s demand was overlooked.

Speaking with reporters, Mr. Raut, who is also a member of Rajya Sabha, said that there are serious allegations against Maharashtra DGP Rashmi Shukla. “In 2019, she acted at the behest of the BJP when our (MVA) government was formed. Our phones were illegally tapped and she was informing Devendra Fadnavis what we were going to do. Phone calls of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Nana Patole and myself had been kept under surveillance,” the Shiv Sena leader said.

Raut also alleged that the DGP Rashmi Shukla has been working unfairly and creating trouble for the opposition parties. “The opposition parties’ workers are being externed. Can we expect her to conduct fair and transparent elections?” the Sena leader asked.

The EC had directed the Jharkhand government to immediately remove acting Director General of Police Anurag Gupta based on a history of complaints against the officer and actions taken by the poll panel in previous elections. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress have demanded similar action against Shukla, the first woman DGP of Maharashtra.

Raut also alleged that Maharashtra Assembly election is being conducted under the police pressure and the mastermind is Rashmi Shukla.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Thursday wrote a letter to chief election commissioner of the ECI Rajiv Kumar, urging the removal of Rashmi Shukla from her position. He argued that when the BJP had requested the removal of the DGPs in West Bengal and Jharkhand, they were promptly replaced, but the Election Commission has not yet removed Maharashtra’s DGP.

“Over the past 20 days, incidents of political violence against the opposition parties in the state have escalated significantly with the law and order situation deteriorating. She has demonstrated a clear bias against the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), which is also evident from her prior record of illegal phone tapping of opposition leaders while serving as Commissioner of Police (CP) of Pune and chief of State Intelligence Department,” Patole said in the letter.