Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Delhi protest was an attempt to "create a perception" that constitutional institutions are "ineffective". He alleged that radical left-wing elements want to replace democracy. Fadnavis also rejected Mumbai Congress allegations against the police and said the government will address students' concerns.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the Delhi protest was aimed at creating a perception that constitutional institutions are ineffective. He also rejected Mumbai Congress' allegations against police and said students' concerns were genuine and the government was ready to address them.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the protest in Delhi was an attempt to "create a perception" among people that institutions established by the Constitution were "ineffective", alleging that "extremely radical left-wing elements" were seeking to "replace" democracy.

"This is an attempt to create a perception in people's minds that the institutions established by the Constitution are ineffective. This programme is being carried out with the intention of rejecting the Constitution. It is an attempt by extremely radical left-wing elements to replace democracy," Fadnavis said.

Reacting to allegations by the Mumbai Congress against the police, the Maharashtra Chief Minister termed them "completely false".

"This is a completely false allegation. The Mumbai Police are professional and they do not stop anyone," Fadnavis said.

"The students discussed the matter with me over the phone. The office-bearers of NSUI are attempting to ensure that the agitation does not end.The students' issues are genuine and the government is positive about addressing them. If someone is doing politics for their own leader, they will be answered politically".

"We could not reach a consensus in Pune, so further discussions will be held."

Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties have participated in the march and raised their concerns. The protest is part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the EC.

The fresh controversy stems from news report, which claimed that two of the Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, raised 14 objections during the SIR exercise. The ECI has maintained that the decisions were unanimous.