BJP demands CBI probe against MVA ministers Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to create fresh troubles for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to create fresh troubles for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The party on Thursday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and transport minister Anil Parab based on allegations made by controversial police officer Sachin Vaze.

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A resolution demanding CBI probe against the ministers was passed in the BJP’s state executive committee meeting held on Thursday.

Vaze, who is in National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody in the Antilia bomb scare case, wrote a letter in April, alleging that he was asked by ministers to extort money from businessmen and contractors.

Pawar is nephew of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. A splinter group of NCP MLAs headed by him supported a short-lived BJP government in 2019. Meanwhile, Parab is a close aide of chief minister and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

“The MVA government is shielding the criminals. In Vaze case, allegations of extortion against the then home minister Anil Deshmukh, corruption in transfer of police officers have ruined the reliability of this government. Based on the allegations made by Vaze in his letter, a CBI probe needs to be initiated against Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab,” said state BJP president Chandrakant Patil.

In his letter, Vaze stated that someone claiming to be very close to Ajit Pawar asked him to collect ₹100 crore a month from illegal gutka sellers. He also alleged that Parab asked him to look into the inquiry against fraudulent contractors listed by the Mumbai civic body. The former police officer, dismissed from service in May, also claimed that Parab asked him to collect ₹2 crore from some 50 contractors.

Refuting the charges, Pawar had said he never met Vaze. “I have never met Vaze nor have I spoken to him ever. So go ahead and conduct an inquiry if this is what needs to be done,” he said.

Parab also debunked the allegations, saying it was BJP’s conspiracy to defame MVA. “In order to defame the chief minister, it was necessary to vilify someone close to him. This is a part of agenda being pursued by the BJP,” Parab had said.