After the BJP slammed the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for detaining BJP leader Kirit Somaiya , Sena MP and its chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) had nothing to do with the action taken against Mr. Somaiya.
Refuting speculation that there were divisions within the MVA over the action taken against Mr. Somaiya, Mr. Raut contended that the Home Department, which was in the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) kitty, might have taken the step only after it thought that a possible law and problem could have arisen due to Mr. Somaiya’s visit to Kolhapur .
“I have discussed the issue with the Chief Minister [Uddhav Thackeray]... he said that his office had nothing to do with it. At the same time, if Mr. Somaiya indeed has evidence against [NCP Minister] Hasan Mushrif as he claims, then there are agencies within the State that are capable of tackling his complaints. But if you [Mr. Somaiya] are making allegations against MVA Ministers on the orders of the [BJP-ruled] Central government and if as a result of that, there is a question of law and order in the State, then our Home Ministry has full authority to take action to prevent such a situation,” said Mr. Raut.
Mr. Thackeray did not concern himself with such “trivial matters”. There was no need for the BJP to blame the Chief Minister in regard to Mr. Somaiya’s detention. The government could not care less if someone consistently made false allegations against its leadership.
“Everything that has been happening is an attempt by the BJP to destabilise and discredit Maharashtra at the behest of the Central government. They have been trying to sow confusion in the minds of the public with their fantastic allegations,” he alleged.
Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, too, confirmed that the CMO had nothing to do with the action taken against Mr. Somaiya. He said that the prohibitory order notice was issued to the BJP leader after district administration officials thought his presence in Kolhapur could lead to a law and order problem.
Mushrif sees ‘conspiracy’
Mr. Mushrif has decried Mr. Somaiya’s allegations, dubbing them as being part of a big BJP conspiracy. He alleged BJP State president Chandrakant Patil to be the mastermind of the plot.
“I have been very vocal about the Centre’s indiscriminate use of probe agencies against the MVA leadership and on the issue of [former Mumbai Police commissioner] Parambir Singh. Hence, I am being framed by the BJP through their tool Kirit Somaiya,” he said, dismissing all allegations against himself and his family as “false” and “baseless”.
Mr. Mushrif reiterated that he was going to file a ₹100 crore defamation suit against Mr. Somaiya and an FIR against Mr. Patil in connection with an alleged ₹150 crore annuity scam during the erstwhile Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government.
