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Local shares fell on Friday as investors make last-minute adjustments to their portfolios ahead of the main index’s rebalancing, while unease over rising infections grows. 
Mumbai: Challenging Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawars contentions regarding states Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, BJP Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday hit back alleging that the NCP chief is trying to protect his party leader and not speaking the truth.
Refuting Pawar`s statements on Monday that Deshmukh was in-home quarantine in Nagpur during the relevant dates mentioned in the letter by former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh, Fadnavis exhibited a flight manifesto, police VIP movements records and other papers and declared that Deshmukh was actually in Mumbai and not in quarantine.
“As per police records of VIP movement, Anil Deshmukh went to Sahyadri Guest House on Feb 17 & Mantralaya on Feb 24. He was in-home quarantine from Feb 15-27 but met officers, wasn’t in isolation. I feel Pawar Sahab wasn’t briefed properly yesterday,” Fadnavis said.
As per police records of VIP movement, Anil Deshmukh went to Sahyadri Guest House on Feb 17 & Mantralaya on Feb 24. He was in home quarantine from Feb 15-27 but met officers, wasn’t in isolation. I feel Pawar Sahab wasn’t briefed properly y’day: Maharashtra LoP Devendra Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/gX6TmuO6pZ
ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2021
“This is an attempt to protect Deshmukh. Pawar Saheb is not being briefed properly and hence not speaking the truth. They are getting exposed in the process,” Fadnavis claimed, addressing a press conference on Tuesday.
The BJP leader further announced that he would be meeting the Union Home Secretary to provide full details of the `letter-bomb` and related issues and request a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as very big names are involved.
Fadnavis` statements came in the wake of the raging political controversy over Singh`s ‘letter-bomb’ accusing Deshmukh of making alleged Rs 100-crore `collection` demands from an arrested-suspended Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze from Mumbai bars, eateries and hookah joints.
Earlier, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar also took a jibe at Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)-led Maharashtra government, saying that their CMP is not Common Minimum Programme but “Collecting Money through Police”.
“CMP of Maharashtra government is not Common Minimum Programme, but it is Collecting Money through Police,” Javadekar said in a tweet.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had on Saturday written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had indulged in “malpractices” and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.
The allegations made by Singh had come a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, on Monday defended Deshmukh stating that the Maharashtra Home Minister was hospitalised from February 5 to 15.
Addressing media in the national capital, Pawar said, “If you see the former Commissioner`s (Param Bir Singh) letter, he mentions that in mid-February, he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister. From 5th-15th February, Deshmukh was admitted in the hospital because of coronavirus.”
Pawar also displayed a hospital slip which indicated that Deshmukh was in the hospital till February 15.
The NCP chief said, “So it`s clear Deshmukh was in Nagpur. CP is saying he was briefed the same day by the home minister. The second week of March, Parambir got the information he says. Why was he waiting the whole month to expose it? Yesterday I also suggested some senior officer should probe the case. I think it is clear who murdered (Mansukh) Hiran. In the investigation, it will be clear why they did this.”
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