BJP demands narco test of CM Uddhav Thackeray, Anil Deshmukh

Amid the corruption allegations in Maharashtra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam on Monday said that state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh should go for a narco test if they are not lying.

“If they are speaking the truth, they should go for narco test, everything will be clear. Even Sitaji had to undergo agni pariksha, so why the chief minister and the home minister are hesitant to go for a narco test,” Kadam told ANI.

“He (Param Bir Singh) wrote this letter after his transfer so we must know what was his motive behind this letter, what political pressure was on him,” he asked.

Earlier, he had asked Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar if he was threatened by the state home minister following which he changed his statement on Singh’s allegations against Deshmukh.

In a tweet, the BJP MLA said: “Yesterday afternoon, Sharad Pawar said about Anil Deshmukh that the allegations made against him are serious. CM will decide on this. But a few hours later, Sharad Pawar came to the rescue of Deshmukh in the night.”

“The whole country is trying to know what happened from afternoon to night that Sharad Pawar had to change the stand? Did Anil Deshmukh threaten during this time? That the NCP and the big faces are involved in this recovery? That is, those who have got a share in the recovery? And he will also make their names public?”

“Is this the reason Sharad Pawar had to say at night that he would not take action against Deshmukh?” he questioned further.

When asked about BJP’s demand of Deshmukh’s resignation, Pawar said, “If you see the former commissioner’s letter, he mentions that in mid-February he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from Home Minister…From 6th-16th February, Mr Deshmukh was admitted to the hospital because of coronavirus.”

“It is clear that during the period about which the allegations were made, Anil Deshmukh was hospitalised. As this is clear, such demands hold no power,” he added.

Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.

In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, had said that he has been “made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers”.

He had alleged that Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and “repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds”.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor