Challenging Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar's contentions regarding state Anil Deshmukh, BJP Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday hit back alleging that the NCP chief is trying to protect the Maharashtra Home Minister and not speaking the truth. Fadnavis said that the MVA exposed itself after trying to protect Deshmukh.
Refuting Pawar's statements on Monday that Deshmukh was in home quarantine in Nagpur during the relevant dates mentioned in the letter by former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh, Fadnavis exhibited a flight manifesto, police VIP movements records and other papers and declared that Deshmukh was actually in Mumbai and not in quarantine.
"This is an attempt to protect Deshmukh. Pawar Saheb is not being briefed properly and hence not speaking the truth. They are getting exposed in the process," Fadnavis claimed, addressing the media.
Addressing a press conference, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister further said that he will be going to Delhi to meet the Union Home secretary and will provide all sensitive information and details of the ‘letter-bomb’ and related issues and will also request a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as very big names are involved.
Seeking time from the Union Home Secretary to meet him, Fadnavis said he will hand him over 6.3 GB of data of call recordings and some documents relating to the alleged transfer posting racket of IPS and non-IPS officers of Maharashtra Police.
Fadnavis' statements came in the wake of the raging political controversy over Singh's 'letter-bomb accusing Deshmukh of making alleged Rs 100-crore 'collection' demand from an arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze from Mumbai bars, eateries and hookah joints.
Deshmukh has claimed that he was in isolation on the dates mentioned by Singh in the letter, but Faadnavis said as per the police records of VIP movement, the home minister went to Sahyadri Guest House on February 17 and Mantralaya on February 24.
Also Read: How Vaze dealt with betting rings, operated extortion racket from luxury Mumbai Hotel
“He was at home quarantine from February 15-27 but met officers, wasn’t in isolation. I feel Pawar Sahab wasn’t briefed properly yesterday,” he added.
While on Monday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar defended Deshmukh asserting that Deshmukh was hospitalised between 5 to 15 February after being Covid-19 positive, showing a hospital slip which indicated that the home minister was in the hospital till February 15.