Mumbai: Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) MLA from Balapur Assembly seat in Akola, Nitin Deshmukh, on Tuesday appeared before the Amravati office of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). He appeared after receiving a notice from the agency in connection with an inquiry related to his properties. Though a complaint was received by the agency in September last year, the notice to Mr Dehsmukh was issued earlier this month.
Interestingly, anticipating arrest, Mr Deshmukh had also taken along his clothes with him. “The government is running in a dictatorial manner… these people are worse than the British,” Mr Deshmukh told representatives of the media before appearing before the agency officials.
He told the Free Press Journal, “I was questioned for about three hours and submitted whatever was required from me. They would call me again, if required. The enquiry was about property related details. I have submitted the form that I had submitted before the Election Commission office. I asked them for details of the complainant, but the ACB didn’t give any details.”
After receiving the notice earlier, Mr Deshmukh had alleged, “They are trying to implicate me in a false case. After Bhavna Gawli’s complaint, an attempt is being made to implicate me in a complaint filed with ACB.”
Mr Deshmukh, who was in news after “escaping” from Guwahati where Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led 39 MLAs and 10 independents were camping in June last year, he had told the FPJ, “The complainant is not named in the notice. To send a notice to an MLA, there should be a mention of the complainant’s name. It doesn’t even mention what assets I have that are illegal.”
Mr Deshmukh is the third MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena camp under the ACB’s radar. So far, the ACB has sent notices to legislator from Rajapur Rajan Salvi and MLA from Kudal Malvan, Vaibhav Naik.
