In a development with multiple dimensions, the Maharashtra government will conduct parallel investigations into the Elgar Parishad-Koregaon Bhima case.
Firstly, it is going to snowball into major Centre vs State issue and would lead to an unprecedented slugfest. Secondly, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray would be under constant pressure of the NCP-Congress combine.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress general secretary Mallikarjun Kharge had openly expressed displeasure on Thackeray transferring the case from Pune police to the NIA.
However, there is no threat to the government, Congress and NCP leaders told DH.
On Monday, Pawar held a meeting of NCP ministers in Mumbai to discuss the issue.
The SIT would be formed after due consultations between Thackeray and state home minister Anil Deshmukh, NCP chief spokesperson and minority affairs minister Nawab Malik said.
The development comes a day after Pawar alleged that the probe started and overseen by the previous government headed by BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had anomalies. "They wanted to hide something," he said, hinting that this was the reason for transferring the probe from Pune police to NIA.
(Published 17 February 2020, 13:49 IST)
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