MLA returns, says I’m loyal to Uddhav
NAGPUR: Shiv Sena legislator Nitin Deshmukh returned to Maharashtra from Gauhati on Wednesday and pledging fealty to party chief Uddhav Thackeray, stated that he was taken first to Surat and later to Gauhati against his will.
A group of Shiv Sena MLAS, led by Thane legislator Eknath Shinde left for Surat, Gujarat late Monday evening. Early Wednesday morning, they were taken to Gauhati, Assam, on a chartered flight. Shinde on Wednesday sought to break away from the Sena claiming that he had the support of 46 legislators, including those lodged with him.
“I am a Shiv Sainik of Uddhav Thackeray and will remain loyal to him,” said Deshmukh, who stayed back at Gauhati’s Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi international airport even as the rest of the 89-member entourage were taken to a city hotel in buses on Wednesday. Deshmukh took a chartered flight back to Nagpur with five Sena activists.
Both Assam and Gujarat are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in opposition in Maharashtra. Deshmukh claimed that the BJP was behind Shinde’s rebellion.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Deshmukh said that he was Thackeray’s man and did not support Shinde’s insurrection. He also appealed to other Sena legislators in Guwahati to return to the party.
“The hotel in Surat resembled a police chhaoni [cantonment] with Indian Administrative Services
(IAS) officers and BJP leaders watching our movements. BJP leader [from Mumbai] Mohit Kamboj was present at the Surat hotel. Sanjay Kute [a BJP MLA from Jalgaon, Maharashtra] was there when we reached Guwahati,” he said.
Deshmukh’s wife, Pranjali, had filed a missing person’s complaint at a police station in Akola. Deshmukh represents the Balapur seat in Akola district.
Refuting claims of having had a heart attack, Deshmukh clarified that he was well but was forcibly taken to a hospital and administered an injection.
“As Shinde was my colleague and a senior cabinet minister, I accompanied him [to Surat]. When I realised the rebels’ move, I protested at the hotel. After I protested, I was dragged by around 20-25 people and admitted to a hospital. I was administered an injection though I have no health complication,” he said.
Shinde met Deshmukh while he was admitted at the hospital.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at its office in south Mumbai for the second consecutive day on Wednesday in connection with the alleged money laundering case against him, officials said.
Parab reached the ED office around 3.45 pm for his questioning and left after 10.30pm in the money laundering probe linked to the alleged violation of coastal regulation zone provisions in the construction of Sai resort in Dapoli beach area of Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district, an official said.
An ED official said that the Shiv Sena leader was again summoned on Thursday, as he failed to bring certain documents on Wednesday.
When asked about the summons for further questioning on Thursday, Parab said it looked like the agency would keep summoning him every day till the political drama continues in Maharashtra.
However, in view of the political developments in the state, he had sought more time to appear before it. Parab, 57, is a three-time member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council and holds parliamentary affairs portfolios.
AN ED OFFICIAL SAID THAT HE WAS AGAIN SUMMONED ON THURSDAY, AS HE FAILED TO BRING CERTAIN DOCUMENTS ON WEDNESDAY