Uddhav Thackeray speaks against detention centres, Fadnavis denies approving any such plan

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday made it clear that no detention centre would be constructed under his watch anywhere in the state. As per sources, he gave this clarification in his address to party leaders at the Sena Bhavan. This assumes significance as news reports had hinted at the plan of the earlier government led by Devendra Fadnavis to develop the first centre for illegal immigrants in the Nerul region of Navi Mumbai. The site allegedly chosen for this purpose housed the Navi Mumbai Police’s Women Welfare Centre in the past.  

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'Wrong to call it a detention centre' 

Speaking to the media in Pune on Monday, Fadnavis, however, denied that there was any plan to establish a detention centre. While admitting that there was a proposal to build a centre in Navi Mumbai, he opined that it was merely to detain the foreigners who were over-staying in India violating their visa conditions. The former CM said that it was wrong to describe it as a “detention centre”.  

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Fadnavis remarked, “It is true that there was a proposal that City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) will build a centre in Navi Mumbai where the foreign nationals whose visas are expired but were found living in the country can be kept.” He added, “CIDCO was asked to provide land to set up a centre for those foreigners whose visas have expired and they are still living in India, but it is wrong to call it a detention centre.”  

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PM Modi denies existence of detention centres

Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied the existence of any detention centre in India speaking at the Aabhar rally at Ramlila Maidan in the national capital. Requesting the youth of the country to read the Citizenship Amendment Act in detail, he asked them not to believe the rumours in this regard. He contended that such a “lie” was dividing the nation.  

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