The Shiv Sena MPs, saying that they weren’t given an opportunity to respond to the BJP MPs, staged a walkout from the House later.
After serious allegations of corruption and extortion raised against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh by Former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh, the parliament today witnesssed a huge uproar, as treasury benches in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha demanded Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation and a central probe into the matter, asking if the senior NCP leader was being protected. Such allegations were being made only by the “most corrupt” of all, the Shiv Sena said in its response. The heated exchange came a few hours before leaders of the state’s ruling alliance were scheduled to meet to decide the future course even amid indications that a perceived rift over the matter was already on the mend.
Multiple BJP members raised the issue in parliament today.
BJP MPs in the Rajya Sabha demanded the sacking of the Maharashtra government, raising slogans of “Maharashtra sarkar barkhast karo”. Union Minister Prakash Javedkar, among others, tried to raise this issue but the Chair did not allow them to make any statement. The House was then adjourned till 2 pm amid the chaos.
The BJP’s Jabalpur MP, Rakesh Singh, in the Loksabha, said, “Maharashtra has a government of mismatched coalition. What is the reason that the Home Minister is being protected? This needs to be probed in an unbiased manner by central agencies…The Chief Minister must resign.”
BJP’s Mumbai Northeast MP Manoj Kotak also raised the matter of the ₹ 100 crore extortion allegation. “In Mumbai alone, it is ₹ 100 crore. How much money is been procured from other cities of Maharashtra? I want this to be investigated. I also want that the Home Minister to resign,” he said.
Kapil Patil, another MP, alleged that Mr Deshmukh was being saved because otherwise he may reveal other names involved.
Anurag Thakur, the Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, also spoke sharply about “vasool (collection) in Maharashtra” – “collection” being a euphemism for extortion.
“The allegations being made in Maharashtra are a serious matter. It involves ₹ 100 crore, although the matter doesn’t pertain to this House,” Me Thakur said.
The Shiv Sena hit back against these allegations saying that CSR funds of public sector units were being diverted for the Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat, and towards the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg MP, Vinayak Raut, said, “This is an attempt to destabilise the state government. Who are these people raising questions over Param Bir Singh’s letter? They are the ‘most corrupt’.”
The Shiv Sena MPs, saying that they weren’t given an opportunity to respond to the BJP MPs, staged a walkout from the House later.
The NCP’s Supriya Sule, speaking later, cited the permission given to eight BJP MPs to speak during Zero Hour, even though they were not listed, and called it a “black day” for the House.
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