Leaked official secrets? 'Not afraid, will prove my point in court', Fadnavis meets MH Governor

Mumbai, March 24: Amid fast-paced political developments in Maharashtra, a delegation of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders led by former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis arrived at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai to meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday morning. The delegation comprising state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil and other leaders submitted a memorandum to the governor requesting him to send a report on current situation in Maharashtra to President Ram Nath Kovind.

 

 

"Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has lost moral ground, they are working only for power. CM Uddhav Thackeray has maintained silence on the entire political crisis. We have requested Governor to make him speak and seek a report from him," said the former chief minister. He also said that he was ready to face all the cases for leaking official secrets against him. "If they file a case against me, I'm not afraid. If there are 4 more cases against me, I'm ready. I will go to court and prove my point", he added.

 

 

The BJP has been exposing the three-party ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance over the allegations against state home minister Anil Deshmukh, demanding his resignation. The NCP leader has been accused of corruption by Param Bir Singh, an IPS officer who was transferred as Mumbai police commissioner during the investigation into security threat case against billionaire Mukesh Ambani.

 

 

 

Singh said in a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray that Deshmukh gave Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, arrested in the Ambani bomb scare case, a target to extort ₹100 crore from various establishments of Mumbai. Singh has moved the Supreme Court against his transfer and to seek a CBI probe against Deshmukh. The court will hear the petition today. The minister has, meanwhile, denied all the charges.

 

 

The NCP, part of MVA, has also backed the minister, ruling out his resignation. NCP chief Sharad Pawar, credited with stitching the three-party alliance of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress - acting as the chief crisis manager, held a press conference and multiple meetings with party leaders and discussed the issue. He told reporters on Monday that Deshmukh was recuperating from Covid-19 during the period Param Bir Singh has claimed that he was

indulging in "extortion activities" through police officers.

 

 

But Fadnavis took a jibe at the senior politician from Maharashtra over the statement. "Deshmukh was in home quarantine from February 15-27 but met officers and was not in isolation. I feel Pawar Sahab was not briefed properly yesterday," the BJP leader said.

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