Maharashtra’s former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday accused deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of trying to “implicate, raid and arrest him” for allegedly trying to pressure a police officer from Jalgaon to take action against BJP leader Girish Mahajan four years ago.
Less than a week after the CBI registered an FIR against him and four others for allegedly conspiring to falsely implicate BJP leaders by fabricating witness statements and evidence, Deshmukh upped the ante against Fadnavis and accused the latter of using the CBI to implicate him in the case.
Taking to micro-blogging site “X”, Deshmukh said: “Devendra Fadnavis has used his influence in power corridors of Delhi to file an FIR against me in an incident that took place four years ago when I was the State Home Minister. The accusation against me is that as the then State Home Minister, I pressured a police officer to take action against BJP leader Girish Maharaj in an incident in Jalgaon”
“As far as I know, Devendra Fadnavis is trying to raid me. With the help of rulers in Delhi and working in tandem with the ED-CBI, Fadnavis has brought down Maharashtra politics to a low level. Devendra Fadnavis I am waiting for my arrest.....,” Deshmukh wrote on his “X” handle.
Last week, the CBI had registered a case against Deshmukh and four others including then Public Prosecutor Pravin Pandit Chavan, accusing them of conspiring to falsely implicate BJP leaders by fabricating witness statements and evidence.
The CBI lodged the case after a two-year preliminary enquiry which originated from a pen drive handed over to the then Speaker by Fadnavis who was then the Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly.
Seven-year-old Deshmukh, a close associate of NCP (SP) chiefSharad Pawar, said that he would not be cowed down by Fadnavis’ efforts to act against him through the central investigating agencies.
Incidentally, both Deshmukh and Fadnavis hail from Nagpur.
It may be recalled that the then Police Commissioner of Mumbai Param Bir Singh had created a sensation on March 20, 2021 by alleging that then State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked now arrested and dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze to “collect” a staggering Rs 100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and other sources in Mumbai
Deshmukh had resigned from his post as the State Home Minister on April 5 2021 within hours after the Bombay High Court ordered a “Preliminary Enquiry” (PE) by the CBI into the serious charges of corruption made against him by Mumbai’s former Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Based on a case of corruption registered by the CBI, Deshmukh was arrested by the ED November 2, 2021 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on charges of bribery, conspiracy and misuse of office.
