Conspiracy to defame Maha govt:NCP on Param Bir Singhs letter
Alleging a “conspiracy” to defamethe Maharashtra government, senior NCP leader and stateminister Nawab Malik on Monday questioned “timing” of formerMumbai police chief Param Bir Singhs letter in which heaccused state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption.
Malik, who is national spokesperson of the NCP, alsosaid the party has decided that Deshmukh need not resign atthis juncture. “A call on Deshmukhs fate will be taken onceprobe is completed”.
On Sunday, NCP president Sharad Pawar said MaharashtraChief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate ofDeshmukh. The allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh againstDeshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, he hadsaid.
A major political storm erupted in Maharashtra afterSingh, who was recently shunted out as Mumbai policecommissioner, wrote a letter to CM Thackeray last weekclaiming Deshmukh had asked Sachin Waze, currently in the NIAcustody, and other police officers to collect Rs 100 croremonthly, including Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore from bars and hotelsin Mumbai.
Deshmukh had denied these allegations.
“Why Singh did not issue the letter before he wastransferred to the Home Guard department. He (Singh) hasclaimed that (Sachin) Waze met Deshmukh in the last week ofFebruary. Deshmukh was in hospital till February 15. He was inhome quarantine till February 27,” Malik told a news channel.
He said Deshmukh started meeting people from February28 after testing negative for coronavirus on February 27. “So,this letter raises doubts,” Malik added.
“The NCP has decided that any decision on the fate ofDeshmukh will be taken based on outcome of probe,” he said.
Malik alleged Singh had been to Delhi and that NCPleaders have information regarding whom he met in the nationalcapital and what discussion took place.
“……All this will definitely come up in thediscussion in the time to come. A conspiracy was hatched todefame the state government,” he alleged.
On Sunday, senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and stateunit president Jayant Patil met Sharad Pawar at his residencein Delhi when it was decided that Deshmukh will not step down.
After that meeting, Patil said there was no need todivert attention from the main incident of bomb scare outsideMukesh Ambanis residence and the killing of Mansukh Hiran, aThane-based businessman.
The focus is on these two events and after thatappropriate steps will be taken, he had said.
The NIA is probing Wazes alleged role in placing anexplosives-laden SUV outside Ambanis residence on February25. The federal agency was handed over the Hiran murder caseon Saturday. Hiran was the purported owned of that SUV, aScorpio.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)