Pawar dismisses demands for HM's resignation

March 22, 2021 13:29

NCP chief Sharad Pawar holds a presser ahead of his meeting with his alliance partner, the Shiv Sena today on the Param Bir Singh letter bomb and the culpability of home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Referring to the letter the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote to CM Uddhav Thackeray, Pawar says, "If you see the former Commissioner's letter, he mentions that in mid-February he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister... From 6th-16th Feb, Mr Deshmuklh was admitted in the hospital because of Corona."

Sharad Pawar says "vague allegations" made by the ex-Mumbai top cop is to divert attention from Mukesh Ambani security scare case probe.

"It is clear that during the period about which the allegations were made, Anil Deshmukh was hospitalised. As this is clear, such demands hold no power."

A crucial political meeting of the Maharashtra government alliance partners scheduled for this afternoon in New Delhi was to decide the future of the 16-month-old state government. It came amid a rift over the crisis involving state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, with the Shiv Sena earlier viewing him as a liability. Yet, the party today asked why his resignation was being discussed when both the Chief Minister and the NCP chief had agreed that the contents of "letter bomb" must be probed.

Pawar has summoned the top party leadership of the state, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state party chief Jayant Patil to New Delhi today to take a call on Mr Deshmukh. The NCP founder suggested that former police officer Julio Ribeiro probe the allegations against the Home Minster, but the retired cop refused.

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