Will letter-bomb ground Anil Deshmukh? Thackeray calls meet amid murmurs

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting on Monday amid corruption allegations against NCP leader and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, who has been accused by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh of graft and extortion among other things.

The meeting, ostensibly to review the state’s law and judiciary department, will be held at Thackeray’s residence and comes a day after Maharashtra coalition leader, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said that Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh. “The allegations levelled by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe,” he said.

Pawar’s comments came amid speculation in state political circles that Maharashtra may soon have a new home minister. Pawar held the meeting with senior leaders Supriya Sule and Praful Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Patil.

In his letter addressed to Uddhav Thackeray recently, days after he was removed as commissioner of Mumbai Police, Singh claimed that Deshmukh had asked certain police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from hotels and bars in Mumbai. Deshmukh has denied these allegations.

In the eight-page letter, Singh alleged that Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a “collection target” from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday warned the Centre against any move to intervene in Maharashtra. “If someone is attempting to get the President’s Rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them – you yourself will get burnt in that fire,” Raut told news agency ANI.

Ruling out Deshmukh’s resignation, Raut added “If people take ministers’ resignation just like that then it will be difficult to run the government.”

On Sunday, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath met Pawar in New Delhi to discuss the political situation in the state. The Congress and the NCP are part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

Meanwhile, the BJP demand for Deshmukh’s removal grew louder with party leaders and workers staging protests in various cities demanding his resignation. Hitting back at the BJP, Patil said there were many charges against Devendra Fadnavis’ ministers but he did not ask anyone to resign.