Bhandara, Jan 14 (IANS): The Congress party on Tuesday claimed that the incidents in Beed (murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh) and Parbhani (death of a Dalit youth Somnath Suryavanshi) are sponsored by the BJP-led alliance government in Maharashtra, with ruling party MLAs publicly disclosing information provided by the government.
“The BJP alliance government is playing games to protect the main culprits. This must stop, and the accused in the Beed case should be given the death penalty,” demanded Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole.
Speaking to the media, Patole further stated that the brutal murder of Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, is deeply shocking. To ensure such incidents do not recur in Maharashtra, the culprits in this case must face severe punishment. The incidents in Beed and Parbhani have tarnished Maharashtra's reputation. The spectacle being staged by the BJP-led government over these incidents will not be forgiven by the people of Maharashtra, he said.
On new electoral law, Patole alleged that during the state Assembly elections, the Election Commission committed grave misconduct.
“How did 7.6 million votes increase overnight? The Election Commission has failed to provide satisfactory answers to this question. The Congress Party had demanded video evidence showing voter queues on Election Day after 6 p.m., but the Commission did not provide such proof. Moreover, the Chief Minister defended the Election Commission in the Assembly. To cover up the sin of electoral fraud, the central government has enacted a new law that prevents the Election Commission from disclosing any information. The BJP and the Election Commission have colluded to plunder votes. As a result, the public does not consider this government to be theirs,” he claimed.
Further, Patole said that during the Assembly elections, the BJP introduced the Ladki Bahin Yojana to win women’s votes, offering Rs 1,500 to all sisters. “Now that the BJP government has been formed, they no longer need the sisters, and threats are being made to demand the return of the money -- a clear act of betrayal. The BJP-led government should fulfil its promises and provide Rs 2,100 per month to all sisters without exception,” he added.