MVA's Silence on 'Urban Naxal Bill' in Assembly Alarming: Ashok Dhawale

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Bill, recently passed in the state Assembly without resistance, has drawn strong criticism from the CPI M. The legislation, widely referred to as the "Urban Naxal Bill', aims to curb unlawful activities by Left-wing extremist groups but is being flagged as a threat to democratic rights and civil liberties.

Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), and Shiv Sena (UBT), did not register any opposition during the Bill’s passage. CPI M’s lone MLA Vinod Nikole stood as the only dissenting voice from the Opposition bench.

Speaking to The Indian Express, CPI M Politburo member and AIKS president Ashok Dhawale criticised the Bill as a “direct attack on dissent”. He alleged that the legislation is a political tool to suppress people’s movements and curb opposition to pro-corporate policies under the pretext of combating Naxalism.

Dhawale pointed out that both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have publicly stated that Naxal influence is minimal in Maharashtra and largely under control nationwide. “If the threat is contained, then what is the need for such an extreme law?” he questioned.

He further said, “This isn’t about security. This is about silencing protest. UAPA and MCOCA already exist. Some clauses in the MSPS Bill go even beyond UAPA. This is clearly meant to suppress movements such as farmers’ protests against land acquisition or opposition to corporate -led projects in Dharavi, Wadhwan, and tribal regions like Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.”

On the silence of MVA leaders during the Assembly proceedings, Dhawale said it was “unfortunate”. While acknowledging that several MVA leaders had joined earlier protests, including a June 3 demonstration at Azad Maidan with leaders like Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, and Uddhav Thackeray, he criticised their inaction during the Bill’s introduction in the House.

“We raised the issue with NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil immediately after. We were told that MVA leaders had already expressed opposition during the Select Committee meetings. But public silence in the Assembly sent the wrong message,” Dhawale said.

However, he welcomed the united opposition shown by MVA parties in the Legislative Council the next day, calling it a “much -needed course correction”.

Regarding further action, Dhawale said that while legal challenges would be considered, the real resistance must come from public mobilisation. “The farm laws were rolled back not in court but on the streets. We need a united mass movement to repeal this Bill. Mere speeches will not suffice,” he said.

On whether CPI M would accept amendments to the law, Dhawale was unequivocal: “The government received 12,500 suggestions on the Bill, 9,000 sought scrapping it completely, 3,000 asked for changes. We are not demanding tweaks. We want the law scrapped in full.”