Shinde slams INDIA bloc march to Supreme Court, says it was attempt to pressure judiciary

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has condemned the march taken out by the INDIA bloc towards the Supreme Court in Delhi. He criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Opposition. Shinde said the previous day was a black day in the country's history. He alleged that the march was an attempt to put pressure on the judiciary.

Shinde said he condemned this action by Rahul Gandhi and the INDIA bloc. He said that in a democracy everyone has the right to file a petition, but questioned what kind of method it was to take out a march to file one. Referring to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Shinde said he gave the country the Constitution and constitutional institutions were built on it. Taking a march towards the Supreme Court and trying to pressure the judiciary was not right, he said.

Shinde also raised questions about the agitation over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He said the Opposition was agitating over the issue of voters' names being removed. Shinde said Form No. 6 is available for getting names added to the electoral roll and that the process is meant to ensure no one faces injustice. He also alleged that there was a political motive behind the Opposition's agitation.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc has raised questions about alleged irregularities in the electoral rolls, the SIR process and the role of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The ruling side and the Opposition are trading charges over these issues.

Referring to the Emergency, Shinde said, "Had there been an Emergency in the country, would they have been able to take the agitation to the Supreme Court? Today everyone has the freedom to speak. Is it right then to insult the judiciary?" Shinde also said that agitating against Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Opposition's only agenda.

Shinde also reacted to the murder of Pradeep Purnekar, an office-bearer of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction, in Thane. He called the incident unfortunate and said he had spoken to the police about it. Shinde said, "The incident is being investigated. No one will be spared."