ED case: Deshmukh says Centre may be upset over his decisions as minister

Reacting to the Enforcement Directorate's move to file a case against him, NCP leader Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday said the Union government might have been peeved with him because of some of his decisions as Maharashtra home minister.

The NCP and Congress termed the ED's action as politics of revenge" and said it was aimed at diverting attention from the "failure" of the Narendra Modi government in tackling the pandemic.

The ED filed the case under the anti-money laundering law in an alleged "bribery" case after studying a CBI FIR that was filed against Deshmukh late last month.

The Bombay High Court had earlier directed the CBI to conduct a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) against Deshmukh after former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh raised allegations of corruption against the senior NCP leader.

"I have learnt through the media that now the ED will probe me. I am being punished for a political motive for the offence I did not commit," Deshmukh said.

With Deshmukh as home minister, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra had in October last year rescinded the general consent given to the CBI to probe cases in the state.

Read | ED registers money laundering case against Anil Deshmukh

Deshmukh said that during his tenure as minister, he had ordered probe into the death of Dadra Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar. Also, an offence was registered in connection with interior designer Anvay Naiks "suicide", he noted.

"The Centre might be upset with me over these decisions," Deshmukh alleged.

Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister and NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik earlier in the day accused the BJP of trying to defame the state government as well as the Sharad Pawar-led party.

The Congress, one of the constituents of the Shiv Sena-led MVA government besides the NCP, dubbed the ED's move as an attempt to cover up the Modi government's "failure" to manage the pandemic by diverting the public attention.

"Right from Singh's allegations to the filing of the case by the ED, it is all politically motivated and aimed at defaming him (Deshmukh) by misusing power. It is clear that the BJP is playing politics using the CBI, ED and other Central agencies," Malik said in a statement.

In a series of tweets, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged the ED case reflects the "dangerous politics" being pursued by the Modi government which is "detrimental" to democracy".

"It's an attempt to cover up Modi govt's failure to handle Corona crisis and divert public's attention, as well as (to take) political revenge," Sawant tweeted.

The action has been taken based on the "lies" of Singh, he said, and questioned why the ED got involved when there was no monetary transaction.

BJP leader Kirit Somiaya, on the other hand, tweeted that "AnilParab is next in line".

Somaiya was apparently referring to Maharashtra Transport Minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab.

Suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze had last month claimed Parab had asked him to collect money from contractors. Parab had denied the allegations.