By PTI
MUMBAI: The new trend of staging protests outside opposition leaders’ residences or offices of rival parties “is not right” and can be “detrimental” to democracy, the NCP warned on Monday in the wake of announcement of such demonstrations in Maharashtra by its ally Congress.
NCP spokesperson and Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik said such protests can lead to law and order problems and are “not acceptable” in a democratic set up.
The Congress had recently declared Maharashtra-wide protests outside the residences of BJP leaders from the state as it demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly insulting Maharashtra with his remarks made in context of the migrant crisis during the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Congress was to stage a protest in Mumbai outside the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP.
The party, however, called off the protest “temporarily” citing “inconvenience” caused to motorists.
The Mumbai Police stopped Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, who was to lead the protest, outside his residence here and detained workers of the party.
The NCP and the Congress are part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.
“The new trend of staging protests outside the residences of opposition leaders or outside rival parties’ offices is not right. It will be detrimental to democracy. This can lead to law and order problems,” Malik told reporters here.
The NCP spokesperson added such protests put strain on the local administration and police force.
He said all political parties have the right to stage protests, but only at places so designated by the government, administration and courts.
Malik said the NCP has already condemned the prime minister’s remarks, but added protests outside residences of leaders “are not acceptable”.
The Prime Minister, speaking in the Lok Sabha earlier this month, had said the Congress “crossed all limits” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the first wave of the pandemic, when people were following lockdowns and COVID-19 norms, Congress leaders were standing at Mumbai train stations and scaring innocent labourers into fleeing to their native states, Modi had said.
