Anil Deshmukh took money through PA, claims Sachin Vaze, prompting denial
Former cop expresses willingness to undergo a narco analysis test to substantiate his claims and reveals he had written to Fadnavis detailing these allegations
Mumbai: The political landscape in Maharashtra has been rocked by a fresh round of accusations and counter-accusations involving former home minister Anil Deshmukh and current state home minister Devendra Fadnavis. The latest salvo comes from jailed former police officer Sachin Vaze, who has levelled serious allegations against Deshmukh.
Vaze claims that during Deshmukh's tenure as home minister, he accepted bribes through his personal assistant. "Anil Deshmukh used to take bribes through his personal assistant. I have given all the proof," Vaze told the news agency ANI. He expressed willingness to undergo a narco analysis test to substantiate his claims and revealed he had written to Fadnavis detailing these allegations.
These accusations follow closely on the heels of Deshmukh's own allegations against Fadnavis. Deshmukh recently accused Fadnavis of attempting to coerce him into implicating former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya, and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in false charges. He claimed that central agencies only targeted him after he rebuffed Fadnavis' offer.
Deshmukh swiftly rebutted Vaze's allegations, characterising them as a ploy by Fadnavis. "In response to the allegations made against him, Fadnavis is using a new trick to make counter allegations against me by using Sachin Vaze," the NCP (SP) leader stated. He also cited a Bombay High Court order that questioned Vaze's reliability as a witness.
The court order, shared by Deshmukh, stated, "Without delving into the aspect of the alleged inconsistent statements made by Sachin Vaze before other forums including Justice Chandiwal Commission of Enquiry, where Sachin Vaze allegedly disowned everything, in my view, the aforesaid material, prima facie renders it unsafe to place reliance on the statement of Sachin Vaze."
The allegations have sparked a political firestorm, with BJP leaders calling for an investigation into Deshmukh's actions. BJP minister Girish Mahajan insisted, "Let the people know who has done what, how much extortion money was taken? Deshmukh is in pain because charges against him turned out to be true. Hence he is making all the allegations against Fadnavis."
On the opposition front, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticised the BJP for what he sees as an opportunistic use of Vaze. "Whenever BJP comes in trouble over issues, Vaze comes out to make such allegations against MVA leaders. This is the third such incident. Vaze has become a spokesperson of BJP," Raut remarked.