A meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) top brass took place on Sunday evening in the national capital against the backdrop of former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh levelling allegations of corruption against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
NCP president Sharad Pawar, senior leaders Supriya Sule and Praful Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, NCP Maharashtra chief and Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil were part of the meeting.
After the meeting was concluded, Jayant Patil rubbished all speculations of Anil Deshmukh's resignation. "There is no question of Anil Deshmukh's resignation. ATS is investigating (Antilia Case & Mansukh Hiren Case) and we believe the culprit will be punished," Patil said.
Patil alleged that Param Bir Singh's letter is an attempt to divert attention from important crimes. Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe will reveal concrete things, he added.
Jayant Patil further said that they will hold discussions with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners Shiv Sena and Congress in one or two days.
For those living under a rock, Param Bir Singh in an explosive letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has claimed that Deshmukh indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended API Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in Mumbai.
After the 'letter bomb' on Saturday afternoon, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have targetted Deshmukh and have demanded his resignation. Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday also claimed that the decision to reinstate Sachin Vaze into the service was taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has said the decision was that of Singh alone.
