The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday ruled out the possibility of resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister and party leader Anil Deshmukh. is unlikely to face the heat.
The NCP chief Sharad Pawar held a meeting with party ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) where the issue of arrest of Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze by National Investigation agency (NIA) in the case relating to explosives found outside the house of industrialist Mukesh Ambani was discussed. Mr. Deshmukh has come under fire from the Opposition over the sloppy handling of the matter.
Speaking to reporters, NCP State unit president Jayant Patil said there is no question of changing the Home Minister. “NIA is investigating the case of explosives found outside Mukesh Ambani’s house while state ATS is probing the death of Mansukh Hiren. All three parties in the government stand united on a position that no guilty will be spared. Whoever is found guilty will be punished,” said Mr. Patil.
Mr. Patil said that Mr. Pawar also met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday. “But it was about functioning of the government. They did not discuss anything else,” he said.
When asked about Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, who had said in Assembly that he is in possession of Hiren’s call data records, Mr. Patil said, “If he really has those CDRs then he should come forward and submit those to the ATS.”
Replying to whether the government’s image has taken a hit, Mr. Patil said the BJP is making false charges about the law and order situation. “They seem bent on tarnishing the government’s image. They are only politicising the issue,” he said.
