The Delhi Police on Friday denied news reports that said security provided at the official residence of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in New Delhi had been withdrawn.
I. D. Shukla, Joint Commissioner of Police (Security), Delhi, asserted in the evening that there had been no such development as reported by the media with regard to the security at Mr. Pawar’s residence.
Earlier on Friday, the NCP slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - led central government over the news reports about withdrawal of security at Mr. Pawar’s New Delhi residence and said the move reflected the BJP’s ‘vindictive’ nature.
“The change of government in Maharashtra has not gone down too well with the BJP and it is behaving in a vindictive manner,” NCP State unit chief and Irrigation minister Jayant Patil said in a statement. “This is not the manner in which we ever behaved against our opposition. This news of withdrawing security is extremely worrisome,” he added.
NCP leader and Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad told reporters that even if the news of withdrawal of security at the NCP chief’s house was true, every party worker would stand as a shield to protect Mr. Pawar. “Each and every one of us is capable of protecting our leader, irrespective of whether police security is provided or not,” he asserted.
The minister said that the Congress-NCP government had never behaved in a vindictive manner with any of the opposition leaders. “Former CM Devendra Fadnavis has still been given the security that he had while working as the Chief Minister,” he asserted.
Reacting to the reports, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said it could have been because Mr. Pawar was instrumental in forming the Shiv Sena-led government in the State.
