MVA govt would’ve fallen had I accepted offer: Anil Deshmukh

Nagpur: Former state home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday claimed that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government would not have survived had he done a samjhauta (compromise) and accepted an offer two years ago. Though he refused to reveal who had made the offer and what was actually demanded from him, he hinted it was BJP.
“I had told them very clearly that I will not make false allegations against anyone. I would not have faced a harrowing time in Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail had I agreed to their demands,” he said.

The senior NCP neta was responding to an article in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamna on Wednesday which claimed that NCP Maharashtra chief Jayant Patil had got an offfer to join BJP with a group of MLAs. When he refused, he was made to face the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the article stated and also claimed that Deshmukh too had faced consequences after he refused a similar offer.
Accusing the central investigation agencies of targeting those who speak against the BJP governments at Centre and state, Deshmukh said the entire state has seen how these agencies were misused. “Many leaders who had taken anti-government stand faced harassment from ED and other central agencies. Today, I read about Patil’s revelation on receiving such an offer. I will disclose details of a similar offer received by me at an appropriate time. When I said Samjhauta, the persons concerned would know what I am talking about,” he said.
The Katol MLA said when he was behind bars, leaders from all three constituents supported him and his family. “MPCC president Nana Patole always backed me and exposed how the investigation agencies were being misused. He knew the reality. Leaders from my party, including Sharad Pawar, opposition leader Ajit Pawar and MP Praful Patel supported my family,” he said.
Reiterating that former Mumbai commissioner of police Param Bir Singh was rewarded for making false charges of corruption against him, Deshmukh said the government had used the cop to target him. “That time all three parties including Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP had spoken against the former CP.”
Stating that he had supported the then BJP-Shiv Sena government under former chief minister Manohar Joshi as an independent in 1995, Deshmukh said he was also a minister in that government, but never joined any party.