The Maharashtra unit of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) on Thursday passed a resolution in its state executive meeting, demanding CBI inquiry against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Transport Minister Anil Parab in connection with corruption charges made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Param Bir Singh.
Days after he was shunted as Mumbai police commissioner and transferred to Home Guards, Singh claimed in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh used to ask police officers to collect money from restaurant and bar owners in Mumbai. But Deshmukh has denied the allegations.
Singh, in his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, had alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked for suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
Just a few days after Param Bir Singh's letter, suspended cop Sachin Vaze also claimed that former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh demanded Rs 2 crore from him to continue his service in the Mumbai Police and alleged another minister, Anil Parab, asked him to collect money from contractors.
Transport minister Parab had refuted the allegations made by Vaze, saying they were incorrect and aimed at maligning his image, and expressed readiness to face any probe.
In the letter, Vaze had also claimed that a "very close circle person" of Ajit Pawar had approached him and insisted him to collect a monthly amount of Rs 100 crore from illegal gutka sellers.
The controversial assistant police inspector said that NCP president Sharad Pawar, whose party is a key constituent in the MVA government, apparently wanted him to be placed under suspension again.
"I duly was reinstated in service on June 6, 2020. That soon after my reinstatement there were certain agitators (people, who wanted) to reverse the reinstatement. Apparently, then it was ordered by Sharad Pawar to again place me under suspension. That, at that time the then home minister sir (Deshmukh) also told me that he will convince Pawar saheb and for that purpose he (HM sir) asked me to pay Rs 2 crore," Vaze claimed in the four-page handwritten letter.
Vaze's letter claimed that in January 2021, another state minister Anil Parab asked him to look into an inquiry against "fraudulent" contractors listed in the BMC and collect at least Rs 2 crore from about 50 such contractors.
Vaze was arrested in March in connection with the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) probe into the case of recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near Mukesh Ambani's house in Mumbai and the subsequent murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran.
Deshmukh had resigned from his post after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to initiate an enquiry within 15 days into allegations levelled against him by Singh.
(With inputs from Agencies)
