The Maharashtra Congress on Thursday warned of a devious conspiracy allegedly hatched by the Bharatiya Janata Party “to make a Manipur in Maharashtra” by misusing their powers.

Addressing the media, state Congress President Nana Patole said that in the past 10 weeks, riots have erupted in at least 10 places in Maharashtra.

“The ruling ally BJP was behind these disturbances which are deliberately being created to divert attention from its failures on the burning issues of inflation, unemployment, farmers and others,” Patole claimed.

He cited how towns like Amravati, Akola, Shegaon, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur were among the 10 places which witnessed such religious-centric violence, particularly with civic, parliament and assembly elections coming up over the next few months.

“However, the BJP’s ploy to create communal discord was exposed by the people and that plan has failed… The ordinary people have stood for peace, social harmony and communal amity,” said Patole.

He reiterated that the masses of the state are influenced by the great icons of the state and will never fall for such tactics of the BJP to divide the people on communal lines.

“We have met the Governor and the Director-General Police to bring to their notice the law and order situation in the state, but nothing concrete has been done so far,” Patole pointed out.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)