MUMBAI: A day after communal riots tore by way of central Nagpur, fanning the controversy over the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Opposition events in Maharashtra zeroed in on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** On this picture launched by @cbawankule by way of X on March 18, 2025, Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule with Nagpur Police Commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singal speaks with administration officers relating to the Monday evening’s violence in Nagpur. (@cbawankule by way of PTI Photograph)(PTI03_18_2025_000262B) (@cbawankule)
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray stated the violence mirrored the failure of the state residence division, headed by Fadnavis. He additionally suggested Fadnavis to get the permission of the centre to get Aurangzeb’s tomb eliminated relatively than permit his colleagues to create communal hassle within the state.
“If the riot was pre-planned (as Fadnavis has claimed), was the home department caught napping? Did it not have information on something that was planned in your hometown,” stated Thackeray, referring to the chief minister, on Tuesday.
“Aurangzeb was born in Gujarat and came to Maharashtra after the death of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, Rajaram Maharaj and Rani Tarabai fought against him but Aurangzeb could not win Maharashtra and was finally buried in this soil. No one in Maharashtra has sympathy for Aurangzeb or Afzal Khan, but Aurangzeb’s tomb is proof of the brave history of Shivaji Maharaj and the Marathas. If Fadnavis and BJP leaders want to destroy proof of the brave history of the Marathas, he should go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and get the centre’s permission to destroy the tomb of Aurangzeb,” Thackeray stated.
State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged the Nagpur violence was a smokescreen, whereas accusing Nitesh Rane, a BJP minister, of inciting communal hatred within the state. “The ruling party remembered Aurangzeb’s tomb because it needed an issue to hide its failures. It is being used to divert attention from pruning the list of beneficiaries under the Ladki Bahin scheme, farmers’ suicides and unemployment,” he alleged.
Sapkal’s social gathering colleague Vijay Wadettiwar too skilled his weapons on Rane, saying the minister has been making provocative statements for the final 4 months. “What happened in Nagpur is unfortunate. The police brought the situation under control but we need to identify those who are responsible. In the last four months, a minister in the government has been making statements that can lead to tension among the two communities,” Wadettiwar stated within the legislative meeting on Tuesday.
Within the legislative council, opposition chief Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena (UBT) pinned the Nagpur violence on the state authorities, asking why the police had no inkling of plans to create hassle within the chief minister’s hometown.
“What was the police department doing? It is an intelligence failure. If the home city of the chief minister is not safe, it is clear that law and order in the state has collapsed. Some BJP leaders and ministers are making provocative statements and spreading communal hatred. The incident in Nagpur is the result of this,” stated Danve.
Chaos erupted within the legislative council as BJP members raised their voices, calling the riots “pre-planned”. Later, throughout the reply of the chief of the home, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde supported the demand by some pro-Hindutva organisations to take away Aurangzeb’s tomb. Shinde additionally blamed a specific part of society for the violence in Nagpur. “We will crack down on anti-social elements who spread violence and attack the police,” he stated.
In the meantime, Chhagan Bhujbal, a senior member of the ruling Nationalist Congress Celebration (NCP), raised the difficulty of funding if Maharashtra. Bhujbal urged folks to indicate restraint as communal stress would hamper new funding within the state and its progress. “Recently, CM Fadnavis succeeded in bringing investment worth over ₹15 lakh crore. If there is unrest, then a company will think ten times before investing in Maharashtra. New industries will bring employment and help in the state’s progress,” he stated.
Supriya Sule, working president of NCP (SP), too urged folks to keep up peace. “The violence between two communities has wrought major damage. The incident is very unfortunate. People are requested not to believe rumours. Let us all work together to maintain an atmosphere of mutual understanding and harmony,” Sule stated in a publish on X.