After Ministers Nawab Malik and Jitendra Awhad alleged that Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rashmi Shukla was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agent, Rural Development Minister Hassan Mushrif demanded that the state government should examine her call data record. He alleged that, during her tenure as the additional director general of police (intelligence), she had tried to placate many legislators and had asked them to support BJP and not the Maha Vikas Aghadi ahead of the government formation in 2019. He added that she had made offers of crores of rupees to independent members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) so that BJP retains power after the last assembly election.
“Shukla was allegedly offering crores of rupees to independent legislators to support BJP, so that it can come back to power after the last assembly election,” claimed Mushrif. “The government must order a probe into Shukla’s CDR for the period between October 24, 2019, and November 24, 2019, before the Maha Vikas Aghadi formed the government. The officers, those who got their postings during the BJP-led government, are still showing loyalty to the latter,” he said.
Mushrif further said that Minister of State for Health Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar, who was elected as an independent MLA, has also confirmed that he had received an offer from Shukla to support BJP. “It is a very serious matter for a senior IPS officer to be involved in such activities. Yesterday, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte reported to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that Rashmi Shukla had illegally tapped phones. Contrary to the opposition’s charges, most of the police transfers were carried out based on the recommendations of the Establishment Board,” he added.
Mushrif slammed the Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis for stepping up its attack against the MVA government and said he should forget his dream of coming back to power in Maharashtra. “The Maha Vikas Aghadi is strong. The opposition is levelling charges in connection with the bomb scare case and Mansukh Hiren death case to divert the ongoing investigation,” he claimed.
