Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Anil Deshmukh’s memoir on his tenure as state Home Minister set to trigger controversy

In the book, Deshmukh has targetted BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was earlier Chief Minister and Leader of the Assembly.

Nagpur: Veteran politician Anil Deshmukh’s book dwelling on multiple issues during his tenure as the state Home Minister—including planting of gelatine-sticks outside the house of Reliance Group Chairman Mukesh Ambani, murder of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiren, allegations of Mumbai Police chief Parambir Singh and his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation—is set to trigger a political controversy coinciding with the Vidhan Sabha polls in Maharashtra.

The book has been titled - Diary of a Home Minister.

Deshmukh is considered close to NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar.

In the book, he has targetted BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was earlier Chief Minister and Leader of the Assembly.

Fadnavis (54) is seeking re-election from Nagpur South West for the sixth time.

Deshmukh (74), a five-time MLA from Katol in Nagpur, however, at the last minute decided to stay away from polls and instead field his son Salil Deshmukh.

When the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi came to power, Deshmukh was appointed the state Home Minister.

He was arrested on November 1, 2021 by the ED and later on April 6, 2022 by the CBI - in a case of alleged money laundering.

Deshmukh, who secured bail in both the cases, started writing the book in jail.

The book will be available in Marathi, Hindi and English,

“The book will tell about the whole conspiracy against me, how efforts were made to overthrow the Maha Vikas Aghadi government through me, and how I was framed in a false case and put in jail for 14 months because I refused,” said Deshmukh.

On his X account, Deshmukh has shared some explosive excerpts of the account.

Fadnavis, who is state’s Home Minister at present, has remained silent on the issue, so far.

In the book, Deshmukh mentions, how Fadnavis had sent Samit Kadam to him with a sealed packet containing four-point affidavits and asked him to name Thackeray, his son and then minister Aaditya Thackeray, then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and then minister Anil Parab.

“Reading those four points made me very angry, and I threw the paper on the ground. Astounded, Samit Kadam looked at me. In a stern tone, I reprimanded him, saying, "This affidavit is a weapon. Samit Kadam, tell your Devendra Fadnavis that I will not level these false allegations on anyone. I will spend the rest of my life in jail but will not stoop to making these false and despicable accusations against anyone,” he said, adding that by using false affidavits the BJP and Fadnavis were trying to destroy the political careers of certain leaders.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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