New Delhi: The BJP and the Opposition members clashed in both the Houses of Parliament on Monday over the allegations against Maharashtra home minister, levelled by the former police commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar led the attack in the upper house, asserting that the entire nation has been a witness to the murky shenanigans in the state.
In the Lok Sabha, BJP's Rakesh Singh (Jabalpur) and Poonam Mahajan (Mumbai North-Central) demanded imposition of President's rule. Singh wanted a probe by a central team and sought the resignation of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, claiming he had never seen a chief minister addressing a press conference against a police officer.
Shiv Sena's Vinayak Raut (Vile Parle) argued with them, asserting that this is not for the first time that attempts are being made to pull down the alliance government headed by the Shiv Sena chief. He said an inquiry has been already instituted and so where is the question of anybody's resignation.
Deshmukh, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was expected to reach Delhi to meet party supremo Sharad Pawar; however, he was told to stay put in Mumbai after the latter had consultations with Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and Jayant Patil. Senior Shiv Sena leder Sanjay Raut took up the cudgels both in the Rajya Sabha and earlier at a press conference on Monday morning where he warned the Modi government of repercussions if it tried to impose President's rule in Maharashtra.
"If someone is attempting to clamp President's Rule in Maharashtra by misusing the central agencies, then I am warning them - You yourself will get burnt in that fire."
Raut also said it will become difficult to run a government if ministers are asked to resign just because allegations are made against them. Calling former Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh as the "Opposition's most lethal weapon," Raut asked, "Where was the BJP when Param Bir took a stand on the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput?" He said Singh would have to nonetheless answer why he failed to act against assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze and get him arrested for his misdeeds.
In his 8-page letter to Chief Minister Thackeray, Singh has alleged that Vaze was the home minister's recovery agent for extortion money. He has alleged that before his arrest, Sachin Vaze was summoned by the Maharashtra Home Minister at his residence several times in connection with the target of collecting Rs 100 crore in a month, half from 1,750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai, and the balance from other sources.
