Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Monday said the allegations made against his party colleague and Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh were to possibly divert the ongoing investigation into the explosive material found outside the house of industrialist Mukesh Ambani.
Mr. Pawar said as per the letter of former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh, Mr. Deshmukh met API Sachin Vaze at his official residence around mid-February. “It has been brought to my notice that Anil Deshmukh was detected COVID-19 positive in February and got discharged from hospital on February 15 and advised home quarantine between February 15 to 27,” said Mr. Pawar. “Former CP has mentioned that around mid-February HM called Sachin Vaze at his official residence and gave instructions to him as alleged in the letter. But it is absolutely clear that Shri Deshmukh was in Nagpur and home isolation during that particular time,” he said, adding that he recollects meeting Mr. Singh in the second week of March. “The important thing to keep in mind here is that he has mentioned all these things when he got to know about his transfer,” he said.
In a series of tweets, he said, “I honestly feel that the main issue here is the case of SUV with gelatin sticks found near Shri Ambani’s house. I got to know that the ATS has arrested two people in connection with this case and is investigating their involvement in the assassination of late Mansukh Hiren. The main case here was not the allegations made by former CP but that of the the matter where gelatin sticks were found in a Scorpio vehicle outside Shri Ambani’s residence and Mansukh Hiren murder case. I am happy that the ATS is moving in the correct direction in their investigation.”
Mr. Pawar said the investigation process will continue and truth will come out. “It is a possibility that the allegations were made to divert this entire investigation,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis was quick to counter the claim saying Mr. Deshmukh had held a press conference on February 15 in Nagpur.
In a statement, Mr. Deshmukh said, “On the day of my discharge from hospital, several journalists were waiting outside. Due to weakness, I chose to sit on a chair and answered their questions. After that, I went to my home in Nagpur where I was quarantined from February 15 to 27.” He said his first official meeting after the illness was on February 28 at Mumbai’s Sahyadri guest house.
