The Maharashtra Congress on Friday said the Eknath Shinde government's move to restore the pension scheme for political activists imprisoned during the Emergency, was a futile attempt by people who had no role to play in the freedom struggle to gain sympathy.

In a series of tweets, the Congress' state unit spokesman Sachin Sawant said Shinde had remained a mute spectator to the decision, which was against the ideology of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, who had openly supported the Emergency.