Raj Asks IPS Officer to Quit Service, Join RSS amid Speech Row
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday launched a sharp attack on senior IPS officer Vishwas Nangare Patil for attending a Hindu Sakal Samaj event and allegedly praising the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying the senior police officer should resign from service and join the organisation if he wished to openly express his admiration for it.
In a Facebook post, Thackeray said a police officer’s loyalty must remain solely with the Constitution, the law, and the responsibilities of the police force. He alleged that Nangare Patil appeared eager to publicly display his allegiance to the RSS, raising questions about what he described as “dual loyalty.”
“If you want to publicly praise and support the RSS, resign from the police service and join the organisation,” Thackeray said, asserting that officers holding constitutional positions should maintain political neutrality.
The controversy has intensified political discourse in Maharashtra, with opposition parties questioning the propriety of a serving senior IPS officer’s participation in such an event, while supporters have defended Nangare Patil’s presence, arguing that the programme was a social gathering rather than a political function.
No official response from Vishwas Nangare Patil regarding Thackeray’s remarks was immediately available.
