Highlights
- Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde told police that he does not need a special protocol for his convoy
- "This is a government of the common man so he should get priority over VIPs," Shinde said
- He said protocol causes traffic snarls, disrupts daily routine of citizens, burdens police force
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday told the police that he does not need a special protocol for his convoy in Mumbai and elsewhere in the state.
Shinde gave the directions after holding discussions with state Director General of Police Rajnish Seth and Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar. As per a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Shinde has directed that there should be no police bandobast for his convoy, as it causes hardships and delays for the common man.
"This is a government of the common man so he should get priority over VIPs," Shinde said, adding that the special protocol causes traffic snarls, disrupts the daily routine of citizens and burdens the police force.
Earlier, several former corporators from Navi Mumbai and Kalyan Dombivali civic bodies in Maharashtra's Thane district expressed support for the Shiv Sena faction of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the move comes a day after their Thane counterparts did the same.
A functionary of the faction said 40 of the 84 ex-Shiv Sena corporators in the 122-member Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation and 32 of the 38 ex-Sena corporators in the 111-member Navi Mumbai civic body have expressed support for Shinde.
Of the 67 corporators the Sena had in the Thane Municipal Corporation general body, the tenure of which ended some months ago, 66 have said they are now part of the Shinde faction.
(pti inputs)
