The attackers smashed the glass cabins inside the office and left within minutes after launching the attack. The police has now beefed up the security around the office.
On Friday morning, the Congress party office, situated near Azad Maidan, was vandalised by eight unidentified men, suspected to be Maharashtra Navnirman Sena activists. While no one was injured in the attack — it took place when the housekeeping staff was cleaning — Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam has vowed a befitting reply to MNS in their 'own style'.
The attackers smashed the glass cabins inside the office and left within minutes after launching the attack. The police has now beefed up the security around the office.
Over the last few weeks, there had been increasing tension between the two political parties over the hawkers' issue where the MNS had been vocal against 'outsiders', while the Congress had backed their right to livelihood. Days ago, an MNS officebearer was beaten up in Vikhroli.
Following the incident, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had told his party that he didn't like his followers getting beaten up.
Meanwhile, escalating the feud, Nirupam, who is campaigning in Gujarat for the local assembly polls, claimed that the attack couldn't have taken place without the blessings of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home ministry. "Azad Maidan police station is barely 25 metres away from our office. Yet, the MNS goons had the audacity to come and vandalise. There is round-the-clock vigil in this area; what were the police officers doing?" he said.
He also termed the MNS 'goons' as impotent, who attacked the Congress party office in a cowardly manner. "If the CM fails to take proper action in this, our party will give a befitting reply to MNS in the coming days," Nirupam warned.
After the attack, former Mumbai Congress president Kripashankar Singh, ex-Union minister Milind Deora and Congress MLA Amin Patel visited the party office. Leader of Opposition in the state assembly and Congress MLA Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil also condemned the attack said the MNS had done this for publicity. "They have lost their political relevance and want to stay in limelight using these cheap tactics," he said.
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