Opposition turns up heat as Maratha protest exposes faultlines in Maha govt

The lathi charge on Maratha protestors in Maharashtra has created a political controversy for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has criticized Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, for the incident. Fadnavis claimed that the protestors had attacked the police first, but Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar condemned the lathi charge and called for an investigation. This difference in opinion has exposed the political faultlines in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s government.