Shiv Sena (UBT) group leader Bhaskar Jadhav has come out strongly against the recently passed Maharashtra Public Safety Act, calling it “draconian” and a direct attack on citizens’ fundamental rights. He claimed that a detailed four-page dissent note he submitted to the joint select committee was ignored during the tabling and approval of the bill.

Despite government claims of unanimous support, CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole voted against the legislation, and Jadhav has now alleged that his objections were not even acknowledged in the final report. “In a democracy, dissent cannot be discarded. This bill endangers constitutional freedoms,” Jadhav said on Monday.

He raised concerns about several controversial clauses—specifically Sub-section 2(f), which, he says, infringes on Article 19’s guarantee of free speech and expression by prohibiting speech, writing, messages, or art deemed a threat to public safety. Sub-section 2(d) was also criticised for its vague definition of "organisation," potentially endangering the constitutional right to form associations.

Further, Section 3(I and II) grants the government sweeping powers to label any organisation or act as illegal without clear criteria—a move Jadhav warned could be used arbitrarily. “This legislation gives the state unchecked power and minimal accountability,” he asserted.

While the bill passed with little resistance in the Assembly, members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Legislative Council, calling the law oppressive. Critics have also pointed fingers at the silence of opposition MLAs in the lower house during the bill’s passage.

Reacting to the growing concern, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has announced a statewide symbolic protest. “We will burn copies of the Act in every district,” said MPCC chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, vowing to resist what he described as authoritarian governance.