A week after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alleged that ‘urban Naxals’ have infiltrated some Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and are setting up false narratives against his government, a Pune-based organisation sent him a legal notice.
The outfit demanded that Shinde disclose the names of such NGOs or apologise publicly. Addressing an event related to the Legislative Council Polls on June 16, Shinde said, “Naxals are not just in Gadchiroli. Urban Naxals have entered NGOs and have systematically set up false narratives against the government. While not all NGOs are problematic, some are clearly anti-government. They actively spread falsehoods about our (ruling) alliance.”
The notice, sent by one Balkrishna alias Bunty Nidhalkar, who claims to be an active member of the ‘Nirbhay Bano’ people’s movement, stated that as Chief Minister, it is inappropriate for Shinde to drag politics into every issue, especially while the people of Maharashtra are facing crises.
Highlighting the farm crisis and rising unemployment among other issues, the notice called Shinde’s claim absurd and illegal, and stated that such claims should not have been made by a Chief Minister.
The notice, sent through advocate Asim Sarode, also stated that the Shiv Sena leader’s statement implied that he is aware of various NGOs which, according to him, are urban Naxals. Therefore, it requested him to immediately inform the police about all these NGOs and make a public announcement so that legal action can be taken.
It further stated that if there is no truth in Shinde’s statement, then he should publicly apologise to the people of Maharashtra for his “irresponsible and false statement”.
According to the leaders of the Nirbhay Bano movement, they work for the protection of democracy.