PSA aims to take action against Maoist ideology organisations: MoS Yogesh Kadam

Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam on Thursday said the Maharashtra Special Public Security Act passed by the state assembly said that it is meant to take action against organisations that believe in Maoist ideology.

“64 such organisations are working in Maharashtra, which do not believe in the Indian constitution, and it was necessary to ban them. If any organisation spreads Maoism without indulging in violence, action needs to be taken. This was not possible under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). That is why the government has enacted this law,” he added.

He further stated, “In some of the districts of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, there is not just Maoism, but there are urban naxalite organisations which are spreading Maoist ideology in various parts of the cities. They do not believe in the Indian Constitution; they have their own Constitution, which clearly mentions that they have to finish the Indian Constitution. The bill has been passed by voice vote in the assembly, barring a CPM legislator who opposed it.”

Minister Kadam said that the law will not be misused against opposition parties.

Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the bill in the state assembly, said that the safety and security of the state and country were important, and to curb the activities of organisations which work against the country's democracy and the Constitution was the need of the hour.

"There will be no abuse of power. It is a balanced piece of legislation, and more progressive than the law in force in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand," he said.

The Chief Minister pointed out that while left-wing extremism in Maharashtra has shrunk from five districts to just two talukas, its strategies have evolved.

“Urban Maoists are brainwashing youngsters and creating unrest against the system. This law will help tackle that threat effectively," he said.

--IANS

sj/dan