BMC fund row: MNS asks Mumbai mayor to quit; Opposition demands inquiry

A day after the MNS released controversial audio clips of mayor Snehal Ambekar’s telephonic conversation over the distribution of development funds, the opposition parties on Tuesday demanded a criminal investigation into the matter in the legislature.

A day after the MNS released controversial audio clips of mayor Snehal Ambekar’s telephonic conversation over the distribution of development funds, the opposition parties on Tuesday demanded a criminal investigation into the matter in the legislature.

The clip featured the mayor and party group leader Sandeep Deshpande in conversation over distribution of civic funds worth Rs100 crore.

Opposition leader in the legislative council Dhananjay Munde asked for a criminal investigation. “Mumbai is a city that the whole country is looking at it. Such an incident will tarnish the city’s reputation. Hence, there must be an inquiry by the CID or the ACB,” he said.

Council chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar has directed the state to make a statement on the issue to the council.

The MNS, meanwhile, demanded Ambekar’s resignation. Deshpande said, “The mayor, keeping the sanctity of the post in mind, should immediately resign from the post till the ACB probe is over.”

Attacking the mayor and the MNS, BJP group leader Manoj Kotak said, “The mayor’s conduct was not right and she should have not spoken the way she did. However I don’t support MNS’s act of recording the call.”

Rubbishing the allegations of a personal dispute, Deshpande said, “I have been receiving threat calls since past four months, thus for security reasons I was recording my phone calls.”