‘If I had accepted the offer two years ago, the MVA government would have…’: Anil Deshmukh’s ‘revelations’ on arrest

In what he called a “big revelation” about his arrest, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said in Nagpur that he had “received an offer two years ago” that he would have led to the “Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government debacle”. The leaders of Maharashtra’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have dismissed the allegations.

Speaking to local TV9 Marathi news channel, Deshmukh said: “I received an offer in engagement two years ago. In return, they promised me that there will be no action against me. They told me to make false accusations against people, but I declined this offer and denied any commitment. Therefore, I had to face jail. If I had compromised then, the MVA government would have collapsed two years ago.”

READ ALSO | Former Maha Minister Anil Deshmukh visits hometown of Nagpur for the first time after being released from jail, denies wrongdoing

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested Deshmukh in 2021, after then-Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh brought bribery and extortion charges against him. Deshmukh was jailed for almost 13 months.

While speaking to the media in Mumbai, Sanjay Raut, leader of Shiv Sena UBT and member of the Rajya Sabha, said: “I am aware of the offer that was made to Anil Deshmukh and how pressure was attempted on him. He has the evidence and video clips of those who knew him and gave him the offer, and those who told him to make false accusations. He had even shown some evidence to the head of the NCP, Sharad Pawar”.

Saamana’s editorial on Wednesday also discussed how the BJP allegedly tried to pressure leaders like the NCP’s Jayant Patil to join their party.

“His last visit to the ED was because he didn’t succumb to his pressure. The BJP even tried to stop NCP leader Nawab Malik by arresting him as he was raising his voice against former Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede who was handling Aryan’s drug case. Khan”.

READ ALSO | He never expressed a desire to join the BJP, says former Maha minister Anil Deshmukh

Reacting to Deshmukh and Raut’s statements, BJP State Chairman Chandrashekhar Bawankule said: “Anil Deshmukh is out on bail and that is also due to his state of health. Still, there are allegations of bribery and extortion against him. His statements are nothing more than contempt of court. If he continues to make such baseless statements, we will go to court.”

Another BJP leader and former minister Ram Shinde said: “Why didn’t Deshmukh say these things when he was home minister for the state? There is no point in blaming any central agency as they work according to the leads they get in the case. The BJP has never pressured anyone.”