While the poll-bound Opposition has come up with a strategy to corner the government over the Badlapur sexual assault case by calling for a state bandh on August 24, CM Eknath Shinde has alleged that Tuesday’s stir was politically motivated and planned. “Protests don’t happen this way. The number of local protesters could be counted on fingers,” he said.

Most of the protesters were brought in vehicles from outside, and they held placards against the ‘CM Ladki Bahin Yojna’ [the government’s ambitious scheme of cash assistance for women]. The minister [Girish Mahajan] had agreed to the protesters’ demands, but they did not leave [the railway tracks they occupied for over 10 hours]. It was clear that they wanted to malign the government,” said Shinde, adding that the Opposition had problems with the scheme.