LAW AND ORDER STATE SUBJECT: NCP CHIEF ON CENTRE GIVING RANE Y SECURITY

MUMBAI : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday took potshots at the Centre for providing security to Rajya Sabha (RS) parliamentarian from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Narayan Rane and said the Centre’s intervention into the issue is surprising as law and order is a state subject.

The state government had recently scaled down or completely scrapped the security cover of many leaders. Rane’s security cover was completely removed. He was earlier being provided the Y-plus category. Following the state’s move, the Union home ministry decided to provide the Y-security cover to the former chief minister.

“It is the Centre’s right to do so but going by the Constitutional provisions, law and order is a state subject. So after the state took a decision pertaining to law and order, there was no reason for the Centre to intervene,” Pawar said.

Justifying the changes in the security cover, the NCP chief said, “Based on threat perception, the state home department officials recommend the Maharashtra government to provide a particular category of security to a person. Even the security of state minister Sanjay Bansode was reduced. During the previous Devendra Fadnavis regime, my security cover was also reduced but we never complained. The Centre’s intervention in the state’s matter is surprising.”

While interacting with media persons in Kolhapur, he also confirmed his participation in the farmers’ agitation in Mumbai on Monday.