Congress, NCP (SP) lead statewide protests against 'draconian' public security bill in Maharashtra

Opposition parties including the Congress and the NCP Sharad Pawar faction on Wednesday staged statewide protests across Maharashtra opposing the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill 2024 calling it antipeople dictatorial and draconianThe parties alleged that the bills vague definitions and sweeping powers could lead to misuse against innocent citizens suppression of dissent and silencing of democratic voicesApart from the Congress and NCP SP other protest participants included the Shiv Sena UBT Communist Party of India Marxist Peasants and Workers Party PWP and several likeminded organisations They had jointly called for district and talukalevel agitations against the bill which was passed by the Maharashtra legislature in July 2024The bill aims to curb unlawful activities by Leftwing extremist outfits and introduces strict penalties including imprisonment of up to seven years fines up to 5 lakh and categorising offences as cognisable and nonbailableFollowing passage in both Houses of the state legislature the bill now awaits the Governorrsquos assent to become lawProtests across the stateIn Pune NCP SP working president and MP Supriya Sule led the protests near the Dr B R Ambedkar memorial close to Pune Railway Station Protesters raised slogans praising the Constitution and condemned what they called the governments dictatorial tendenciesSule warned that the bill introduced under the guise of public security would empower the government to jail its criticsldquoThis is nothing but an attempt to suppress peoplersquos voices through statesponsored authoritarianismrdquo she saidLarge numbers of NCP SP workers participated in the protestIn Kolhapur Congress leader Satej Patil led similar demonstrations Party workers also held a lsquodharnarsquo sitin and protest marches in Nanded In Baramati NCP SP leader Yugendra Pawar participated in a local protestIn Hingoli and Solapur activists from CPI M and the Congress held demonstrations The CPI M has urged the Maharashtra Governor not to grant assent to the bill labelling it antipeople and unconstitutionalCriticism of the BillCPI M state secretary Dr Ajit Nawale said the terms ldquounlawful activitiesrdquo and ldquounlawful organisationsrdquo were poorly defined making them vulnerable to misuseHe warned of unjust action against social activists civil society groups and ordinary citizensDr Nawale highlighted that the governments own joint scrutiny committee received over 12700 public responses with 9500 demanding withdrawal of the billldquoDespite this the government made only minor changes to three clauses and rushed the bill through using its brute majoritymdashwithout holding a public hearingrdquo he saidHe also warned that the law could be used to suppress peaceful protests civil disobedience and democratic movements including marches and road blockadesThe CPI M has requested the Governor to withhold assent under Article 200 of the Constitution and send the bill back for reconsiderationCongress slams Weaponisation of the BillThe Congress said the bill would be used as a weapon to silence dissent warning that it threatens democratic rightsldquoThere are already stringent laws to deal with urban Naxalism This law is unnecessary and targets protests against procorporate policies and industrial favouritismrdquo the party said in a statementThe bill also allows for arrest imprisonment and property confiscation the party allegedNationwide protest call for October 2Opposition parties have announced a major protest on October 2 Gandhi Jayanti to intensify their agitation against the billIn Nagpur Congress and NCP SP workers staged demonstrations at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Variety Square raising slogans against the state government