BJP Double Speak : Ravi Shankar Prasad Slams Anil Deshmukh But Goes Silent On Suvendu Adhikari

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Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who went all out against then Maharashtra Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh after allegations made by former Mumbai police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is apparently silent on the Narada tapes revelation that includes Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy.

Both Adhikari and Roy are seen the Narada sting tapes and in the same sting operation that featured other TMC leaders. So how is it possible while on the same tape TMC leaders are arrested while Suvendu Adhikari ( he took Rs 5 lakh )  is not ? Bot Roy and Adhikari were with TMC when the tapes were released in 2016 but soon joined the BJP .

Interestingly , the CBI is yet to seek sanction to prosecute Suvendu but went ahead in arresting TMC leaders. The CBI action is yet another blow to its credibility . Former BJP leader and trinamool Congress vice – president Yashwant Sinha on the current CBI standing tweeted as he wrote, Biggest joke of the day, ‘CBI is an independent agency’.

It may be recalled Prasad had launched a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government after Param bir Singh in his allegation said the Deshmukh as home minister asked tainted officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month. “The Home Minister of Maharashtra is extorting money for transfers and postings. Was the minister taking money for himself, his party, or his government is yet to be known,” Prasad had said.

Following Bombay HC ruling Deshmukh resigned as home minister . Further, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a case against Deshmukh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification, ED officials said. However, the agency has not specified the amount of illegal gratification in its enforcement case information report (ECIR). The ECIR filed by the ED is based on the corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Deshmukh last month. The CBI said that Deshmukh used his official position to obtain undue advantage and had also influenced the transfers and postings in the Mumbai Police, as alleged by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. It has charged Deshmukh under section 7 of the amended Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) 2018, along with section 120 B of the IPC.

Moreover resignations has never been BJP’s attribute – The late Sushma Swaraj did not step down when links with former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi came to fore . Same was with former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje or for that matter Shivraj Singh Chouhan during the Vyapam Scam in Madhya Pradesh. Whether the party asks Suvendu Adhikari to step down as leader of the opposition in West Bengal assembly following Narada tapes revelations remains to be seen . Or is the norm that – morality , ethics, propriety only for the opposition not for the BJP. Nation wants to know .