Baba Siddique's death shows poor law and order situation in Maharashtra: Mallikarjun Kharge
Kalaburagi (Karnataka), Oct 13: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the assassination of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique shows the poor law and order situation prevailing in Maharashtra.
The people will teach a lesson to the ruling coalition government in the state in the upcoming election, he said.
NCP leader and former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was shot by three men in Mumbai on Saturday, following which two of the assailants were arrested.
"It is quite visible that there is a complete failure of law and order in Maharashtra because in the broad daylight it happened," Kharge told reporters in his hometown of Kalaburagi.
The district in North Karnataka shares a border with Maharashtra.
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According to Kharge, a fortnight ago Siddiqui had shared information with the government that there was a possibility of attack on him. He even informed the police commissioner expressing his apprehension about whether he would survive or not, the Congress chief claimed.
"Why no protection was given to him? Why the situation reached this stage and why the culprits could not be caught? It means law and order has collapsed there," he said.
Kharge alleged that the government is in such a situation where three parties are taking decision and the bureaucrats are puzzled about whom to listen to and whom not to.
"Law and order problem has worsened there. People will teach them a lesson in the upcoming election," he said.
Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai's Bandra area on Saturday, and two of the assailants have since been arrested, officials said.
The shocking incident prompted the Opposition to question the law and order situation in the state where Assembly elections are expected to be held next month.
Siddique (66), a former Congressman, was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to injuries. He was attacked outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra East, police said.
Siddique had represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the Assembly. A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known to be close to several Bollywood stars.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
