Shiv Sena, NCP, Congress in 2 opinions on Anil Deshmukh resigning as Pawar offers alibi

In the latest update in the Vazegate scandal that has jolted the Maharashtra government and Police, sources have informed Republic Media Network that a section in Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Congress unit wants state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to resign and face a fair investigation. Meanwhile, a large section in NCP is against Deshmukh's resignation as its leaders feel that it will taint the party's political image, sources added. 

Sharad Pawar attempts alibi for Anil Deshmukh

The inside track on the MVA allies comes even as NCP party supremo attempted damage control for a second day in a row on Monday morning, in a high-voltage and chaotic briefing. Pawar claimed to have documents showing that Deshmukh was ridden with Coronavirus and incapacitated at the time Param Bir Singh claimed to have met him, on account of which he made his explosive allegations detailed in the letter the former Mumbai CP sent to the Maharashtra CM and Governor. However, Pawar's version was contested immediately as videos emerged (tweeted by Anil Deshmukh, in fact) where the Maharashtra Home Minister was briefing the media. Furthermore, Pawar's mentioned dates giving an alibi to Deshmukh are sketchy at best as Param Bir Singh never specified when the meeting had taken place. Furthermore, Sharad Pawar went on to claim that the Param Bir allegations were an attempt to divert focus from the main topic which was the Antilia bomb scare case. 

MVA govt gets into a huddle

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has gone into a huddle, with a series of meetings scheduled within & between the MVA allies in the aftermath of Param Bir Singh's allegations. CM Uddhav Thackeray has called for a meeting of top officers in the state's Home department, which was run by NCP up until now, to study the legal ramifications of the ongoing crisis and potential recourse. The Maharashtra CM is also scheduled to hold a meeting of the law and judiciary department. Sources have also informed that the three MVA allies - Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP - are also scheduled to meet on Monday evening. 

Anil Deshmukh was to travel to Delhi on Monday but his visit to Sharad Pawar has been put on hold, with the NCP's leaders in Maharashtra set to hold a meeting in Mumbai. Anil Deshmukh has been asked to remain till this meeting takes place, sources said. Earlier on Sunday, senior NCP leaders Jayant Patil and DyCM Ajit Pawar participated in a three-hour-long meeting at Pawar's residence in the national capital.  Maharashtra DG (Home Guards) Param Bir Singh had following his transfer from the Mumbai CP's position sent an 8-page letter to CM Thackeray and Governor Koshyari accusing Anil Deshmukh of indulging in 'misdeeds' and 'malpractices' and narrating an explosive account even alleging 'extortion' and insinuating political meddling in his affairs and activities. Param Bir Singh made his first appearance on Monday morning but evaded questions as he entered the Home Guard office.

BJP demands ED probe; questions ATS 'solving' Mansukh case

The Maharashtra BJP continued to demand state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to step down amid the explosive letter penned by former Mumbai Police CP Param Bir Singh. BJP's Ram Kadam called for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to investigate the Rs 100 cr allegations levelled against Anil Deshmukh by Param Bir Singh. As per sources, the ED is awaiting the NIA's preliminary report following which it will lodge a case.

BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar has also questioned the ATS allegedly solving the Mansukh Hiren death case with the arrests of two persons.

"It is very bizarre that the ATS has already declared the culprit in the Mansukh Hiren murder case right before NIA was about to officially take over the case. It is even more strange that the ATS suddenly declared its result via a social media post without giving any details on whether the culprit was himself involved in the crime or whether he did it at the behest of Sachin Vaze," said Bhatkalkar in a video message. 

"It seems like there may be a plot to save the real political masters in the murder case by pinning the blame on Vaze alone. The NIA should enquire this so-called revelation by the ATS from this angle also," he added. 

What allegations has Param Bir levelled against Maharashtra HM Deshmukh?

In his 8-page letter to CM Thackeray, Param Bir Singh has refuted Deshmukh's statements that his transfer was due to 'serious lapses in the investigation', the 'serious lapses are not pardonable', and that his transfer was 'not on administrative grounds'. Further in his letter, the ex-Mumbai CP has alleged that Sachin Vaze before his arrest was summoned by Maharashtra Home Minister at his residence several times in connection to the target of accumulating Rs 100 crore in a month, half from 1,750 bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai, and remaining from other sources. 

Singh in the letter also claimed that there was no evidence against him and invited him to check the call records of Sachin Vaze if need be. However, reacting to this letter, HM Anil Deshmukh on Saturday refuted all "Extortion" allegations made by Param Bir. Taking to Twitter, he had said that the involvement of Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze in the Mansukh Hiren case seems likely', and hence he was making such allegations to save himself.

He further said that Param Bir Singh has been transferred to Maharashtra (Home Guards) after ex-Mumbai API Sachin Vaze's arrest in the Antilia bomb scare case. Subsequent to this, Deshmukh has said he'll file a defamation suit against Param Bir Singh and has demanded his suspension while speaking to NCP party supremo Sharad Pawar. Deshmukh has maintained a low profile in the two days since then, while Sharad Pawar has addressed the media twice.