‘BJP using agencies to trouble leaders of Maharashtra’s ruling parties’

Following raids on properties of former home minister Anil Deshmukh by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the arrest of his private secretaries, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has slammed the Centre.

On Friday, ED conducted raids for around nine hours at multiple places related to Deshmukh in Mumbai and Nagpur.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to misuse Central investigation agencies to create trouble for Deshmukh as well as the three-party state government. “Allegations were made against Deshmukh owing to personal grudges. The Central agencies are harassing him by using those allegations. Earlier, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) conducted raids but could not find anything against him. Now by reopening 10-15-year-old cases and pointing out errors, ED is trying to trouble him. Deshmukh and other MVA ministers are being targeted deliberately,” said state NCP chief Jayant Patil.

Sanjay Raut, the Member of Parliament (MP) from Shiv Sena – NCP’s ally in the state – said that it has become a regular practice to harass MVA leaders by the means of Central agencies. Raut said, “Harassing leaders with the help of central agencies is not new anymore. Yesterday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar already commented on this. Be it Shiv Sena or NCP we all are being harassed. However, MVA is strong enough. We will see what needs to be done.”

Another MVA ally, the Congress, termed the raids an attempt to finish political opponents. “We are clearly of the view that the action by the Central agencies is based on vengeance and is an attempt to finish political opponents,” said senior Congress leader and Public Works Department (PWD) minister Ashok Chavan.

Deshmukh is facing a probe after former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh accused him of extorting establishments in Mumbai. Singh made the allegations in an eight-page letter to the chief minister on March 20, three days after his transfer from his post to the Maharashtra home guards as the commandant general for allegedly mishandling the Antilia case, in which 20 lose gelatin sticks were found in a car near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home.

After the raids, Deshmukh on Friday told the media that he was falsely implicated. “Singh made false allegations against me only after he was transferred from the Mumbai Police commissioner’s post. Why didn’t he make the allegations while holding the post?” Deshmukh told reporters on Friday evening.

He also said that the gelatin sticks were planted and Mansukh Hiran – the owner of the car found near Antilia – was murdered when Singh was the Mumbai Police chief. Five police officers – Sachin Vaze, Riyazuddin Kazi, Vinayak Shinde, Prakash Dhumal and Sunil Mane – were associated with the crime intelligence unit (CIU) at the Mumbai Police commissionerate and directly reporting to Singh. He was removed from the top cop’s position as his role was suspicious in the Antilia case, alleged Deshmukh.

Singh’s letter accused Deshmukh of giving Vaze – police officer held in the Antilia case – a target of collecting ₹100-crore a month from bars, restaurants and hookah parlours, among several other allegations. Deshmukh stepped down as the state home minister on April 5, following a CBI probe order against him by the high court (HC).

In response to the allegations, BJP said that the probe has started on HC’s order and it has no role to play in the case. “Singh was appointed as Mumbai Police chief by MVA government. The officer appointed by them made the allegations, based on which probe against Deshmukh was initiated. BJP has not played any role, as the probe by the Central agencies began following HC’s order,” said state BJP vice-president Madhav Bhandari.