(Photo credit: ANI)

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday slammed the BJP-led Centre over the detention of opposition MPs in New Delhi during their march to the Election Commission (EC), alleging that “the world has seen that democracy is being murdered in India.”Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Thackeray accused the BJP-led NDA government of smearing democracy “with its own hands” by detaining MPs protesting against alleged “vote theft” in Bihar. Calling the march a fight against the poll panel, he said, it is now evident why the government is interfering in the agitation.“You (the government) are crushing the fight for democracy. The entire world has seen that India, which is considered to be the biggest democracy, is being murdered in broad daylight,” Thackeray claimed.The INDIA bloc protest led by Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other MPs, began from Parliament House towards the EC headquarters but was stopped midway by police. Barricades were set up outside the PTI Building, and several MPs were detained. Some, including Mahua Moitra, Sanjana Jatav and Jothimani, climbed the barricades and raised slogans.Addressing the protest, Thackeray also targeted the Centre over former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s sudden resignation on July 22. “Where is the (former) vice president? He’s missing. They accepted his resignation, but where is he? He said he resigned due to health reasons, but which hospital is he admitted to? Or did the BJP perform an operation on him? BJP has made Jagdeep Dhankhar disappear,” Thackeray remarked.He further attacked Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, accusing him of “shielding corrupt ministers” and claiming the state had been pushed to “last in development and first in corruption.” He alleged, “We gave them (government) evidence (against ministers) and yet there is no action on them. Someone is running a dance bar, another has a bag full of notes. There is no need of even any probe now, yet the CM does not sack the ministers.” These remarks came as Shiv Sena (UBT) has been demanding the resignation of ministers Yogesh Kadam, Sanjay Shirsat, Sanjay Rathod (all from Shiv Sena) and Manikrao Kokate (NCP). Kadam has denied allegations by Thackeray’s party that he operates a dance bar using a permit in his mother’s name.Kadam, along with Shirsat and Rathod, was among the 39 MLAs who supported Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde during his 2022 rebellion against Thackeray, a move that toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government and split the then-united Shiv Sena.