BJP vs Congress after veteran leader Baba Siddique shot dead in Mumbai

Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Mumbai.

New Delhi:

After veteran NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead near his son’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra last night, a political row erupted over the murder between the ruling BJP and the opposition parties. While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has asked not to “politicise” the incident, opposition leaders, notably the Congress, have criticized the dismissal of the decision over what they describe as a “collapse of law and order”.

Mr Siddique, 66, a prominent political figure known for his three-time stint as MLA from Bandra West, was shot by unknown assailants in front of his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East last night. According to police, Mr Siddique suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the chest, and died from his injuries at Lilavati Hospital that night.

TO READ | Baba Siddique shooters claim to be from Lawrence Bishnoi gang: sources

Following the murder, Mumbai Police arrested two suspects who claimed to belong to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, incarcerated in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, was also involved in the shooting outside the residence of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who is known to have been a close friend of Siddique.

Political Slugfest

“The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and sad. My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. This horrific incident exposes the complete breakdown of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility and justice must prevail. ” wrote opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed similar sentiments, calling Siddique’s murder “shocking beyond words”. In a statement released on , friends and supporters. Justice must be ensured and the current government of Maharashtra must order a complete and transparent investigation.

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“The news of the murder of senior Maharashtra leader Baba Siddiqui is extremely sad. I pray to God to give the deceased a high place in heaven and give patience and courage to the family. What name will you give to these criminal incidents that are continually happening in Maharashtra under NDA rule?” asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the ruling Mahayuti Alliance – comprising the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) – wasted no time in cracking down on the guilty.

“The Maharashtra government of Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and the NDA government of Ajit Pawar captured two accused within 24 hours. The search for the third accused is on and he too will be arrested soon,” Bhandari said. “Politics should not be played over this. Baba Siddique was a great leader. In Maharashtra, no one can escape the law. CM Eknath Shinde is personally monitoring the investigation.”

TO READ | Baba Siddique’s shooters lived in a rented house and did reconnaissance for weeks: 5 points

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal appreciated the state’s quick response in attacking Rahul Gandhi.

“The unfortunate incident that happened to Baba Siddique cannot be sufficiently condemned and we are all sad about it… but the state government immediately swung into action, some accused were arrested, no one can show more readiness than this. When one comes to Rahul Gandhi and some other people, I am saddened by the fact that they also look to politics in such incidents. When Rahul Gandhi asks questions about the law and order situation, he should also comment on the law and order situation. order in the states where your party is in power,” Khandelwal said.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also urged the Opposition not to politicize the murder.

“We are very saddened by the loss of our friend. The opposition should not politicize this matter,” Pawar said, adding that five teams were formed and sent to other states to investigate the case.

The challenge of law enforcement

According to police, of the three shooters, two were arrested – Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh – and one was identified as Shiv Kumar, also from UP. A fourth person, believed to be responsible, is on the run.

The suspects had been monitoring Mr. Siddique for months, conducting reconnaissance of his residence and office. Police revealed that the suspects were paid Rs 50,000 each in advance for the scam and that the weapons were handed over to them a few days before the murder.

Both arrested suspects are now in police custody and the hunt for the others continues. The Mumbai Police also increased security around Salman Khan’s residence.