Vaze row: Maharashtra home minister Deshmukh meets NCP chief Pawar, says have not resigned

Deshmukh reached Pawar’s Delhi residence in the morning and the meeting between both the leaders lasted for over an hour.

Amid the row over police officer Sachin Vaze’s link to the security scare at industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house and death of the trader, Mansukh Hiran, who owned the car, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh met Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on Friday.

(Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Deshmukh reached Pawar’s Delhi residence in the morning and the meeting between both the leaders lasted for over an hour.

Deshmukh told reporters after the meeting that he came to meet Pawar to seek his help in bringing an international firm which is interested in setting up a plant at Multi-modal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) at Nagpur and also briefed him about developments in the Antilia bomb scare case.

The meeting assumes significance as there are speculations that Deshmukh is likely to lose the home portfolio. According to party insiders, the NCP leadership is mulling names of his successors who are more capable to handle the home department. The deliberations started following the Antilia bomb case, which hit the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s image. The case also raised doubts over Deshmukh’s grip on the crucial home department, NCP insiders said.

“I have briefed Pawar saheb about fresh developments in Mumbai related to the Ambani case. Both the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and anti-terrorism squad (ATS) are probing the case. The state has extended full cooperation to the NIA and will also take action based on their findings,” the home minister told reporters while leaving Pawar’ residence.

Later in the evening, he denied news reports of him resigning from the post of home minister. “Had a discussion with Pawar saheb over the developments in the last two days in the probe being carried out by NIA and ATS. The news reports going on a few channels over my resignation are baseless,” he said in a tweet.

NCP insiders also denied the possibility of any change until a reshuffle of the state cabinet. “It all depends upon the three ruling parties. If all are ready and could decide their names of those involved, there would be a reshuffle and only then Deshmukh may be replaced. Until then he is likely to continue as the home minister,” said a senior NCP minister, requesting anonymity.

He clarified that NCP leadership doesn’t want to create an impression that Deshmukh was in any way responsible for the mess in the Antilia bomb scare case after NIA arrested police officer Sachin Vaze accusing him of planting the gelatin sticks in a SUV.

According to party insiders, the names that are doing the rounds as possible replacement to Deshmukh are deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, state party unit chief Jayant Patil, Dilip Walse Patil and health minister Rajesh Tope. Tope was also called by the NCP chief on Tuesday and discussion between the leaders was kept under the wraps.

Deshmukh said on Thursday he will remain the home minister until the NCP chief wants him to handle the responsibility. “Recently, Pawar saheb in a press conference in Delhi praised my work. I will remain in this position until he wants me to continue. His word is final in our party,” Deshmukh said in response to a question at a function organised by Lokmat Group. “In the political career spanning 30 years, there is not a single blot on my image.”