BJP demands Anil Deshmukh’s resignation citing corruption charges

Last updated on March 25th, 2021 at 09:18 am

On Sunday, BJP workers carried out protests in Nagpur and Pune decrying the involvement of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case. The allegation against the NCP leader was made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh. Days after his transfer to Home Guards, Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accusing Deshmukh of corruption. 

Leading the protest rally in Pune, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said that amidst the corruption charges Shiv Sena- led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had no moral ground to govern the state.

Singh said that the senior NCP leader from Nagpur district, had “set a target to accumulate ₹ 100 crore a year”. He added that Deshmukh pressed recently arrested police officer Sachin Vaze and other police officers to collect the said amount from Mumbai bars and hotels. Vaze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over his alleged involvement in the death of Mansukh Hiran, man whose explosives-filled SUV was found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house. 

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Singh approached Supreme Court seeking high level investigation against Deshmukh and even challenged his transfer to Home Guards services. His transfer was ordered by Maharashtra  government citing lapses in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case.

Jayant Patil after his meeting with National Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said, “The Maharashtra government has decided that whoever is found guilty in investigation will be punished. There is no question of the Home Minister resigning.” He added, “We will first investigate the allegations made in the letter. Then we will probe who kept the vehicle in front of Mukesh Ambani’s house and who killed Mansukh Hiran.”

On Monday, the party chief Sharad Pawar called for probe in to Singh’s corruption claims. Besides, he also put to rest the speculations around Deshmukh’s resignation by stating that there was no need for him to step down amidst the corruption allegations. Pawar said, “We will share all these records with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The question of resignation does not arise now.” Maharashtra CM Thackeray also backed Pawar’s stand of letting Deshmukh stay in his position until the corruption charges were proven true.