Anil Deshmukh, the former Maharashtra Home Minister and NCP (SP) leader, suggested that the new bribery allegations from dismissed Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze were a strategic move by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Responding to Waze's claims, Fadnavis, who heads the home department, assured that a proper inquiry would be conducted.
Waze, currently held in Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, is implicated in both the ‘Antilia’ bomb scare and the murder of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran. Recent media reports reveal that Waze has reiterated his bribery allegations against Deshmukh.
Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had previously alleged that Deshmukh, during his time as Home Minister, directed police officers to collect ₹100 crore monthly from bars and restaurants across the city. Following these accusations, Deshmukh resigned from his position in 2021.
Waze had earlier testified to an inquiry commission that he had paid money to Deshmukh’s associates following Deshmukh’s instructions.
Deshmukh commented, “What Sachin Waze spoke is a new move by Devendra Fadnavis, as a few days back, I had levelled allegations against Fadnavis about how he had three years back given a proposal to me to implicate Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray.”
Deshmukh also remarked that Fadnavis might be unaware of the Bombay High Court’s comments on Sachin Waze’s criminal history, noting Waze’s arrests in two murder cases and questioning his reliability.
Deshmukh accused Fadnavis of using a person with a criminal background to frame him and recently claimed that Fadnavis, while in opposition, had pressured him to sign affidavits against then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, and Ajit Pawar, the Deputy CM of the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Fadnavis has denied these allegations and threatened to release several audio-visual clips of Deshmukh, who in turn claimed to have a pen drive with serious allegations against the senior BJP leader.
Fadnavis stated, “I learnt about it (Waze’s claim) from the media. Media reported that Sachin Waze had sent me a letter. I have not yet seen the letter as I have been in Nagpur for the last two days. I will find out if such a letter is received and respond. We would certainly conduct a proper inquiry into emerging (disclosures),” he told reporters.
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