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Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saying those who feel there is politics behind Badlapur protest over the alleged sexual assault on two minor girls are either abnormal or protectors of the culprits.
Thackeray was referring to CM Shinde's claim that the protest was politically motivated and most of the protesters had come from outside.
He said there is no political motive behind the bandh called by the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on August 24. The bandh is aimed at creating awareness that the security of women should be a priority and also awakening the government.
He said the protest was not like the much-publicised Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which he claimed has been rolled out keeping the upcoming assembly polls in mind. It is the manifestation of anger, he said.
Thackeray wondered what the use of Ladki Bahin Yojana is when sisters in the state are not safe.
"Those who feel there is politics behind the Badlapur protest are either abnormal or protectors of the culprits," the Sena-UBT chief said at a news conference. He also slammed the government for registering cases against the protesters.
A massive protest rocked Badlapur town in Thane district on Tuesday after thousands of people hit the streets and spilled onto railway tracks to protest the alleged sexual assault on two four-year-old girls by a male attendant on the premises of a local school.
At least 25 police personnel were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest. Police have arrested 72 persons in connection with the violence during the stir.
CM Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said that the protests at Badlapur were politically motivated and most of the protesters were outsiders.
The MVA has called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault on the two girls.
Accusing the government of behaving in a very insensitive way while handling the sexual assault case, Thackeray flayed the government over the delay in registering the FIR. He said the pregnant mother of one of the girls was made to wait for hours.
He also asked where CM Shinde was when the protests took place.