Mumbai, Sep 18 — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam said on Friday that Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray waited six-and-a-half years to say that he has no connection to the Disha Salian case.
Speaking to IANS, Kadam reacted to Disha Salian's father issuing a Rs 500 crore defamation notice to Shiv Sena-UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray.
The BJP MLA said, "It took Aaditya Thackeray six-and-a-half years to say that he has no connection with (Disha Salian case) it. Even if we assume he has no connection, what was there to fear? Why wasn't a proper investigation conducted?"
"All these questions place them in the circle of suspicion. Even when Disha's father repeatedly asked for the case to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), why wasn't it handed over? What was the reason behind it? They cannot deny all these points..."
"Somewhere down the line, he (Aaditya Thackeray) put himself under speculation, because when in power, the police attempted to protect him, tampering with evidence… these aspects should be taken into consideration. Why did the previous Uddhav Thackeray government not give justice to Disha's family? Who were they protecting?" he asked.
Speaking on Congress' concerns with the OBC quota within the Maratha reservation, Kadam said: "It's nothing like that. The Maratha community of Maharashtra knows that respected Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ji was the one who gave the first reservation. Of the 13 demands, 12 demands were fulfilled. The 13th demand comes under the jurisdiction of the court. It won't hold in the court of law. Thus, it is not important what others are saying. The crucial thing here is that the people of Maharashtra understand that the current government stands with them."
Reacting to actor Swara Bhaskar's texts to other actors after the Ram Janmbhoomi verdict, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that there are individuals in the country who make absurd comments to stay in headlines, adding that such entities should not be entertained.