Sachin Vaze case: Anil Deshmukh must go

The continuance of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in office is totally wrong and untenable in view of the revelations made and the charges levelled against him. Even in these days of cynicism, moral permissiveness and political skulduggery, there is no defence and justification for his continuance. It is not just the charges of bribery and extortion against him that has made the situation impossible to redeem.

The extortion charges are mixed with a murder case, discovery of explosives near the house of Mukesh Ambani, the sudden transfer of Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, and the latter filing a case in the Supreme Court for a CBI inquiry into the murky events. There are other strange and inexplicable decisions also and when all these are joined together, the picture that emerges is that of an unworthy politician and a government that shames itself trying to protect him.

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They all raise disquieting and explosive questions. Why was the controversial police officer Sachin Vaze, who is a hitman in uniform and was suspended for a custodial death and had joined the Shiv Sena after resigning from service, reinstated after many years and given an important posting? It is this person who, according to Param Bir Singh, had been entrusted by the minister to collect Rs 100 crore a month as hafta.

Why is Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray not ordering a credible enquiry and not demanding the minister’s resignation? Why did Param Bir Singh wait till he was shunted from his post to make his allegations public? Anil Deshmukh belongs to Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Pawar’s defence of the minister was lame and unconvincing and was perhaps factually flawed. The discovery of explosive materials near Ambani’s residence raised questions which are yet be answered.

There is friction within the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government over the whole series of events and their handling. There is conflict between the Centre and the state government over these issues which may develop into a confrontation. The matter has been raised in the Supreme Court and in Parliament. It is played out in the media and on the streets. The corrupt nexus between politicians and policemen is not new.

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It is particularly deep in places like the country's financial capital, Mumbai, where there is a strong and entrenched criminal underworld also. It is easy to say the nexus between politics and crime should be broken and the police should be made immune to political meddling, but politicians are not interested in that. The continuance of Anil Deshmukh in the cabinet is a sign of that, and he is a live reminder of much that is wrong with politics and governance in the country.