Thane: Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists stage a protest against Maharashtra Home MInister Anil Deshmukh over allegations made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Parambir Singh, in Thane, Sunday, March 21, 2021.
NCP state chief Jayant Patil on Sunday said there was no question of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigning. The minister’s statement came against the backdrop of ex-Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh’s corruption allegation. He had claimed that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.
Patil, a senior minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, said there was no need to divert attention from the main incident of bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence and the killing of Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based businessman. “The focus is on these two events and after that appropriate steps will be taken, Patil said following a three-hour meeting held at NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s residence in Delhi.
“The question of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigning does not arise, he said.
The meeting of the NCP top brass included senior leader including Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Water Resources minister Jayant Patil.
During a media briefing earlier in the day, Pawar said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh. His comments came amid speculation in Maharashtra political circles that the state may soon have a new home minister.
The allegations levelled by Singh against Deshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, Sharad Pawar said.
Before the meeting at Pawar’s residence here, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had also met him.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath also met Pawar separately.
Singh, a senior IPS officer, who was transferred to the low-key Home Guards on March 17 following the arrest of police officer Sachin Waze in the case related to the bomb scare near Mukesh Ambani’s house Antilia, in a letter to the Maharashtra chief minister had claimed that he was made a scapegoat.
In the eight-page letter to Chief Minister Thackeray, Singh alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a “collection target” from bars, restaurants and other establishments.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office, in a release on Saturday, said Singh’s “unsigned letter to Thackeray” was not sent from his official email ID and efforts were on to contact him to verify it. (With PTI inputs)
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