After Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tendered his resignation to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad took a sharp dig at the Shiv Sena leader, saying Thackeray has “forfeited moral authority to govern.” 

Prasad’s comments came in light of Deshmukh’s resignation following the Bombay High Court ordering a CBI probe into the allegations levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against the NCP leader. 

While addressing a press conference, Prasad asked if Thackeray has no moral responsibility following Deshmukh’s resignation. 

Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked if Thackeray has no moral responsibility following Deshmukh’s resignation as the state home minister. 

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“He has forfeited moral authority to govern,” Prasad said, attacking the Shiv Sena leader for his “conspicuous silence” over the matter. Prasad also said the under the Thackeray government, so many major incidents have happened, which he was referring to the arrest of police officer Sachin Waze in the Antilla bomb scare case and extortion claims by Singh. 

“The BJP expects that all the ramifications of this issue ought to be investigated fairly, properly and those involved must be brought to book,” Prasad said, quoted news agency ANI.

Hitting out at NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Prasad said he is a senior political leader and he “ought to have understood the implications of giving a complete clean chit to Anil Deshmukh.”

Singh in his petition in the Bombay High Court alleged that Deshmukh had asked now-arrested Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore per month from restaurants, bars, hotels in Mumbai. He had written the same in an eight-page letter to the Maharashtra CM. Deshmukh has refuted the claims. 

The allegations against Deshmukh came after Singh was transferred over mishandling the case of bomb threat outside the house of Mukesh Ambani. 

Singh had told the HC that he was replaced by Deshmukh after he had raised the allegations of extortion and illegal transfer with Thackeray against the former home minister. The court earlier on Monday asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into the allegation within 15 days.