Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav on Wednesday criticised the Mahayuti government for failing to provide any data or evidence to justify the need for a bill that seeks to crack down on Left-wing extremism in Maharashtra. He called the legislation "worse than British-era laws," reported news agency PTI.

Last week, both houses of the state legislature passed the contentious Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, which aims to prevent unlawful activities of Left-wing extremist organisations, with a particular focus on 'urban Naxalism'.

Jadhav, an opposition MLA who served on the legislature’s joint select committee that reviewed the bill before it was presented for approval, questioned the very rationale for introducing such legislation in the absence of relevant data, reported PTI.