PM’s visit: Police have detained us, claims Varsha Gaikwad

Mumbai, Aug 30 (PTI) Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad claimed on Friday that police had detained her and many of her party workers ahead of their planned protest during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai.

Modi is scheduled to address Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024 in the city and lay the foundation stone of Vadhvan Port project worth around Rs 76,000 crore in Palghar on Friday, according to his office.

“The police are there at my residence since 7 am. They are not even allowing me to walk two steps. What can I say if asking (PM) to apologise or stage a silent protest is a crime. If questions cannot be asked to the country’s prime minister, then whom should we pose our questions to,” she said.

The Mumbai Congress had planned a protest during PM’s visit to Mumbai.

“We have been detained for raising our voice for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, for Maharashtra’s pride. But we will not be deterred. The Prime Minister must apologise for the insult to our icon,” Gaikwad, who is also the Mumbai Congress chief, wrote on X.

The Congress has said that the PM, who had unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that collapsed at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district earlier this week, should take responsibility.

As a precautionary measure, to avoid any kind of agitation during the PM’s visit to the city, police presence has been increased outside several Congress leaders’ homes, an official said.

Some Congress leaders and their supporters were also detained as a precautionary measure, said a police official.

Besides Gaikwad, police teams also went to her party colleague Nasim Khan’s residence at Jari Mari in the Sakinaka area, the official said.