Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar asserted on Tuesday that the Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) government did not believe in shielding or protecting any official or politician if found responsible or involved in the Antilia bomb scare affair.
His remarks come in the wake of opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeting State government for allegedly shielding police officer Sachin Vaze, now arrested and suspended, in connection with the incident outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai.
Mr. Pawar also dispelled speculation about any rift between the three coalition partners — Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress — over the matter. His remarks were endorsed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who dismissed rumours of any problems within the parties.
Asked in Delhi on reports about possible sacking of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, the NCP chief remarked, “This is news to me.”
Mr. Ajit Pawar told reporters in Mumbai, “Right from the start, the Chief Minister [Uddhav Thackeray] has maintained that the matter should be thoroughly investigated. He, as well as myself, assert that the MVA has no cause to shield anybody in this case nor will it do so. A thorough investigation will be carried out. Even if someone belonging to any political party is found responsible, we will probe them. The law and order situation in the State must be good.”
Contrary to the BJP’s repeated allegations, Mr. Pawar said that in Mr. Vaze’s case, the State government had immediately handed over investigation to the Maharashtra ATS even as the Budget session was in progress.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thackeray and Mr. Pawar on Tuesday morning met leaders from the coalition parties including senior NCP leader Jayant Patil and Sena leader Eknath Shinde. State unit Congress president Nana Patole is also expected to meet the CM.
The ruling government has been facing flak over handling of the bomb scare case, the probe into the death of car dealer Mansukh Hiren and Mr. Vaze’s subsequent arrest by the NIA, with the BJP clamouring for the resignation of Mr. Deshmukh. The arrest has sparked a slanging match between the BJP and the MVA, with the former accusing the Thackeray government of protecting Mr. Vaze, while hinting at the latter’s affiliation with the ruling Sena.
In this vein, Mr. Ajit Pawar emphasized that there was no schism or difference of opinion between the Sena, Congress and NCP.
“Let there be no misunderstanding on this. MVA has been formed on the basis of the Common Minimum Program (CMP). Two agencies, the NIA and the ATS are currently probing this case. So, however tangled the threads of this affair may be, the MVA will not compromise on this probe,” said the Deputy Chief Minister.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant accused Leader of Opposition (LoP) Devendra Fadnavis of not helping agencies by keeping vital information pertaining to the case with himself.
“Mr. Fadnavis has openly stated in the Assembly that he is apparently in possession of the call detail records (CDR) of the owner of the abandoned SUV. Instead of keeping the CDR information with himself, he must hand it over to the investigating agencies. It is illegal to be in possession of the CDR and It is Mr. Fadnavis’ duty as a citizen to disclose the source of such an important document to the investigating agencies,” Mr. Sawant said.
