Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, on Tuesday, launched a scathing attack at Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)-led Maharashtra government over the controversy surrounding state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
"There is a common minimum program for every alliance. Their (Maharashtra government) common minimum program is collecting money through police which is not in people’s interest. Sharad Pawar (NCP chief) was defending an indefensible act," Prakash Javadekar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
On Saturday, Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended API Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
The allegations made by Singh had come a day after Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Vaze were probed without obstruction.
Param Bir Singh 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".
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday defended Deshmukh stating that the Maharashtra Home Minister was hospitalised from February 5 to 15.
Addressing media in the national capital, Pawar said, "If you see the former Commissioner's (Param Bir Singh) letter, he mentions that in mid-February, he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister. From 5th-15th February, Deshmukh was admitted in the hospital because of coronavirus." Pawar also displayed a hospital slip which indicated that Deshmukh was in the hospital till February 15.
The NCP chief said, "So it's clear Deshmukh was in Nagpur. CP is saying he was briefed the same day by the home minister. The second week of March, Parambir got the information he says. Why was he waiting the whole month to expose it?"
(With inputs from ANI)
