Lawless state

Current circumstances do not augur well for the state that is facing a number of grave issues such as the drought situation, precarious financial health, sick industries coupled with deficient power supply, all of which affect overall growth.

On Wednesday, there was tension in the state with clashes between workers from NCP and MNS. An incident on Tuesday night at Ahmednagar soon turned into a beginning of what the peace loving citizens would prefer never to be witness or party to. As per the reports, NCP workers pelted the convoy of MNS chief Raj Thackeray with stones and the atmosphere in Ahmednagar soon turned tense with immediate backlash following at several places.

With the stone-pelting incidents, defacement of effigies, targeting of state transport buses and ransacking of offices of NCP and MNS, hoodlums with the support of political party workers resorted to terror tactics. As usual the police were mute spectators except a few attempts to make arrests. It is a clear indicator of the government losing control over its law and order machinery. Consider the recent bandh organised by the left parties and trade unions across the nation. Though Shiv Sena participated in the bandh, it avoided creating any disturbance.

In this situation the NCP-led home department cannot take any credit for tiding over the turbulent times or reining in the public anger that was evident recently at Bhandara in protest of the alleged rape and killing of three minor girls. Both MNS and NCP want their roots to grow at the cost of the established parties Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena. While NCP was born in 1999, MNS was formed in 2006. But the overzealousness of their ambitious leaders has threatened the well being of the general public that always prefers corruption-free administration, peace and rule of law.