Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: Following the shooting death of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique near his son’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra on Saturday, a political clash has erupted between the BJP and opposition parties.
While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has urged against ‘politicising’ the incident, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, criticized the ruling administration, calling it a “collapse of law and order in Maharashtra.’
‘Law and order collapsed in Maharashtra’
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge described Mr.Siddique’s murder as “shocking beyond words.”
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Kharge said, “The tragic demise of former Maharashtra Minister, Baba Siddique, is shocking beyond words. In this hour of grief, I offer my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra government must order a thorough and transparent investigation. The culprits must be brought to book at the earliest. Accountability is paramount.”
We openly said that the law and order situation is not fine there, even though he said that his life was in danger, Police didn’t protect him, this is such a big lapse from administration’s side. Police should always be on alert in a big city like Mumbai…if govt doesn’t take care of such things that means they are neglecting (such incidents)
Mallikarjun Kharge
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, criticized the Maharashtra government, stating, “The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.
This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail.”
‘Accused arrested within 24 hours’
On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari stated that the ruling Mahayuti Alliance—comprising the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)—acted swiftly against the culprits.
“The Maharashtra government of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar’s NDA government caught two accused within 24 hours. The search for the third accused is underway, and he will also be apprehended soon,” Bhandari said.
“Politics should not be done on this. Baba Siddique was a significant leader. In Maharashtra, no one can escape the law. CM Eknath Shinde is personally monitoring the investigation,” he added.
‘Don’t politicise such events’
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal praised the state’s quick response while criticizing Rahul Gandhi.
“The unfortunate incident involving Baba Siddique cannot be condemned enough, and we are all saddened by it but the state government acted immediately, arresting some of the accused. No one can show more promptness than this.”
When it comes to Rahul Gandhi and some others, I’m disappointed that they seek to politicise such incidents. When Rahul Gandhi questions the law and order situation, he should also comment on the law and order in the states where his party is in power,” said Khandelwal.
Baba Siddique shot dead in Bandra
Baba Siddique was shot dead by three assailants in Mumbai on Saturday night. His body was moved from Lilavati Hospital to Cooper Hospital for an autopsy around 6 a.m. on Sunday.
Siddique was ambushed by three men at Kher Nagar, near the office of his MLA son, Zeeshan Siddique.
He was brought to the hospital’s emergency services at 9:30 p.m. in critical condition, showing no pulse, cardiac activity, or blood pressure, along with gunshot wounds to the chest.
Reports indicate that the three suspects in Baba Siddique’s murder received their weapons just days before the attack and were paid ₹50,000.
The police have confiscated the weapon. The shooters had been renting a house in Kurla for the past 25-30 days, paying ₹14,000 per month.
According to Mumbai police, the accused had surveyed the shooting location, as well as Siddique’s home and office, well in advance.
