Mumbai: Eknath Shinde administration is on the back foot after allegations of using Nibhaya fund for buying cars for the security details of MLAs and MPs of Shinde.
Calling the allegations as false, Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha brushed aside the Opposition's demand for an audit, accusing Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition of making false allegations.
The Indian Express earlier reported that the cars bought by the police, using the Nirbhaya Fund meant for fighting crime against women, were used for providing Y-plus security to the Shinde's lawmakers.
It all started after the Mumbai Police bought 220 Boleros, 35 Ertigas, 313 Pulsar motorcycles and 200 Activa two-wheelers spending ₹ 30 crore.
The money came from the fund set up in memory of the 23-year-old Delhi gangrape victim who died in 2012.
When the Opposition sought an audit for the fund, BJP leader Lodha asked in return to give details of how the previous government utilized the Nirbhaya fund.
Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena faction, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) asked the Eknath Shinde-BJP government how security for MLAs had taken precedence over protecting women.
The centre has been allocating the Nirbhaya Fund to states since 2013 for schemes related to women's safety.
Meanwhile, news agency PTI reported that in June the newly bought cars were distributed to police stations, cyber, traffic, and coastal police units in July.