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NCP chief and the architect of the MVA government in Maharashtra Sharad Pawar has defended party colleague and former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh who is embroiled in a multi-crore money laundering case. Pawar said that injustice is being done to Deshmukh as he referred to former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh being declared ‘proclaimed offender’ by a court. Pawar said that this was a vindication of NCP’s stance on Deshmukh.
Pawar said that when Param Bir Singh after making allegations against Deshmukh is not coming forward to prove them, then “why is the former minister in jail”.
“Former Mumbai CP (Param Bir Singh), after making corruption allegations against him (former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh) has gone absconding & not coming forward to prove them. You (BJP) put Anil Deshmukh in jail, you’ll pay the price for whatever you did to him,” he told reporters in Nagpur . “It is kind of injustice to Anil Deshmukh,” Pawar added.
Pawar’s stand was supported by Shiv Sena , Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut who was quoted by ANI as saying, Our people are either sent to jail on the basis of false allegations and fake evidence or they’re tortured by Central agencies. We had been one of them but we had said that we won’t be scared. They will have to pay for it. I endorse what Pawar sahab said.
Deshmukh, 71, is currently in jail under judicial custody after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. The NCP leader was arrested by the ED on November 1 after questioning in the case, under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
