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Allegations against Anil Deshmukh serious, says NCP chief Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar also said that it is the prerogative of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to take appropriate action into the allegations.
The allegations against Maharashtra home minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh is turning into a full-blown political crisis in the state. Deshmukh has been accused by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh of asking arrested police officer Sachin Vaze to extort ₹100 crore a month from the city’s bars and restaurants.
Also Read: Ex-Mumbai police chief accuses minister of extortion, throws govt into crisis
NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Sunday that allegations against Deshmukh are serious. "It is the prerogative of the CM Uddhav Thackeray to take appropriate action into the allegations," Pawar said at a press conference on the issue, adding, "There has to be in depth inquiry by such an officer who enjoy full respect in police administration."
He then suggested the name of celebrated police officer Julio Ribeiro to carry out the probe.
Also Watch: Deshmukh denies Param Bir Singh's allegations, BJP demands his resignation
The NCP chief further said that reinstating Vaze, who has now been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Antilia bomb scare, was the decision of Param Bir Singh and that not of CM or the home minister.
"Reinstating Vaze after 16 years and giving him an important posting were decisions taken by ex-commmissioner of police in Mumbai. And the allegations have been levelled by Singh after his removal from the post," Pawar said.
The entire issue has case serious strain among the partners of the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance - Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress. While Deshmukh has accused Singh and the Mumbai Polie of “serious and unpardonable mistakes”, the Sena has come in support of Vaze. Also, in an editorial in Saamana, the party said that Singh showed commitment towards the fight against Covid-19, visited Dharavi, which was a hotbed of infections last year. It added that the TRP scam, in which Vaze had been part of the team that arrested certain accused, was brought to light under his tenure.
The Congress, meanwhile, said that there is conspiracy behind the allegations against home minister Anil Deshmukh. "Attempts are being made to pull down non-BJP governments in the country. This is part of the same," party spokesman Sachin Sawant said on Sunday.
But Pawar said there is no threat to the MVA government. "I don't know whether efforts are being made or not to topple the government (Maharashtra). All I can say is they will have no impact on the government."
Pawar has stepped in, like on various previous instances, to resolve the latest crisis to rock the Maharashtra government. The NCP chief has been the architect of the three-party alliance to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) away. He has been monitoring the functioning of the government and even held a meeting with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray after the removal of Param Bir Singh.
The BJP has been targeting the ruling alliance, particularly Thackeray, demanding the resignation of Deshmukh. The BJP workers led by state unit chief Chandrakant Patil staged a protest at the Deccan area in Pune, demanding resignation of Deshmukh. BJP workers also staged protests at Kolhapur, Nagpur and Aurangabad.
