Cong likens Maha Security Bill to colonial-era Rowlatt Act
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Nagpur: Congress state president Harshavardhan Sapkal said the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill is nothing short of a modern-day Rowlatt Act, "designed to criminalise dissent and repress constitutional freedoms in Maharashtra".
Addressing a press conference at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi recently, Sapkal warned that the BJP-led govt's public safety bill is aimed at targeting activists, reformers, and civil society groups under the garb of "urban Naxalism."
"The 1919 Rowlatt Act gave the British unchecked powers to arrest Indians without trial. Devendra Fadnavis wants to revive the same colonial mindset through this black law," Sapkal said.
He described the Bill as "draconian," enabling the state to imprison individuals or shut down organisations without investigation. "It categorises offences as cognisable and non-bailable. This is a naked attempt to criminalise dissent," he said.
The MPCC chief accused the state govt of invoking "urban Naxalism" as a vague and weaponised label to silence those advocating caste justice, gender equality, and constitutional rights.
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"Even followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Babasaheb Ambedkar, and Mahatma Gandhi are being branded as threats. Are saints Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram and Mahatma Gandhi next in line?" he asked.
Citing an RTI response from the Centre, Sapkal noted that no verified data exists to support the state's narrative on "urban Naxal" networks. "This is a smokescreen to bring the state under surveillance and fear," he said.
The Congress leader asserted that his party stands firmly against the Bill and any effort to impose a monolithic national identity. "India belongs to Gandhi's vision, not to the venom of majoritarian rule," Sapkal said.
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