Former Minister files, withdraws complaints against son

Nagpur: Former Maharashtra Congress president and cabinet minister Ranjeet Deshmukh on Tuesday withdrew a complaint of mental harassment filed on May 5 against his younger son Amol.

Mr. Deshmukh, 62, is suffering from Parkinson’s disease and has been inactive in politics for over a decade now. He had accused his younger son of forcibly encroaching on the second and third floor of his bungalow in Civil Lines area.

Amol Deshmukh is the national coordinator of the Congress party’s research department.

The former Maharashtra Agriculture minister also accused his son of breaking locks of his rooms and forcibly occupying the space in his house.

Though Mr. Deshmukh was not available for comments, Amol told reporters that it was a “small family matter” which had been sorted out amicably.

“There are some elements who try to benefit from such feuds within prominent political families. This was a somewhat same incident. My father has withdrawn his complaint and the matter is closed now,” Amol Deshmukh told reporters.

One of the most prominent political families of Vidarbha, the Deshmukh family has, for the last few months, been witnessing internal feuds related to its commercial establishments.

Mr. Deshmukh’s elder son Ashish is a BJP MLA from Katol. Amol contested the 2014 elections from Ramtek Assembly seat on NCP ticket but lost to the BJP’s Mallikarjun Reddy.

A few months back, the family-run hospitals in Nagpur were served notices for irregularities after Ashish revolted against the Chief Minister and demanded his resignation.