Maharashtra: BJP decries FIR against Pravin Darekar

Pravin Darekar said the matter should have ended after he resigned from the society’s membership. File pic/Shadab Khan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protested the police case against the Opposition leader in the legislative council, Pravin Darekar, under various charges in the matter related to the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank (Mumbai Bank). The matter was raised in the Assembly on Tuesday by Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis, who accused the government of vendetta politics.Both Houses were adjourned frequently following a ruckus. Aam Aadmi Party worker Dhananjay Shinde has complained that Darekar used a bogus membership of the electoral college of a labourers' society that voted in the Mumbai Bank elections. Darekar has worked as the elected chairman of the bank for 10 years and was a bank director before. Based on the complaint, the MRA Marg police filed an FIR on Monday under various IPC sections, including 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

Fadnavis told the house that the charges pressed against Darekar were false because not just the BJP, but most of the MVA legislators represented the labourers' societies. "Despite this, only Darekar has been booked because he speaks against the government. I had told the house yesterday that Darekar will be booked in a day or two. The CP has been given a list of people to be booked. The government cannot muzzle our voice," he said, adding that he will submit to the house a list of the legislators and the labourers' societies that they head or represent.

Darekar said the matter should have ended after he resigned from the society's membership and chose to retain the other seat in the latest elections. "The FIR was expected. The police chief has been given the task. The chairman and MD of the bank were also called to the police station, but they refused to file a complaint saying that there were no losses caused to the bank. A complainant from the Aam Aadmi Party was encouraged by the people in the CMO," he said.

‘Malik must go'

The opposition raised the pitch for demanding minority affairs minister Nawab Malik's resignation after the Bombay High Court rejected his plea that his arrest by the ED was unlawful and invalid. Fadnavis said that the government has been saying that the minister's plea was pending in the court. "Now the arrest has been held valid and the minister continues to be part of the cabinet. If the chief minister doesn't ask the minister to quit or sack him, it will be proved that the MVA runs as per Dawood Ibrahim's pressure and accordance," he said.

Power sop for farmers

As the Shiv Sena members and the opposition joined forces, the government declared that agricultural pumps will be provided electricity for next three months despite pending bills. Energy minister Nitin Raut said after repeated adjournments and slogan shouting that the connections to the farms would be restored and the subsidy for powerlooms and industry reinstated.

BJP wants tax waiver for movie

The BJP has demanded a tax waiver for the film Kashmir Files. Over a hundred MLAs, mostly from the BJP, signed a letter seeking the sop. Party MLA Ram Kadam demanded to know why the screening of the said film was stopped forcibly in Bhiwandi. BJP state president Chandrakant Patil, Mangal Prabhat Lodha and other MLAs reiterated the demand by staging a protest near Metro Cinema. BJP says that the film is a true account of atrocities against the Kashmiri pandits, and the Shiv Sena should take the lead in giving the movie a sop if it still respected Hindutva. So far, eight BJP-ruled states have made Kashmir Files tax free. However, the demand did not go well with some ruling party members who demanded tax waivers for socio-sport drama Jhund and the historical movies on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his generals. Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil has said that films like Kashmir Files created a communal rift.

Speaker's poll uncertain

State Congress president Nana Patole was upset over the delay from Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in clearing the Speaker's poll schedule. He said on Tuesday that the MVA partners want to conduct the poll in the ongoing budget session. "Our leaders have met the governor, but he hasn't responded yet because he is working for the BJP. What else can we expect from him..." he said, adding that the Raj Bhavan will be approached again. Political circles say that before giving his nod, the governor will wait for the Supreme Court to decide the appeal filed by BJP's Girish Mahajan, whose petition was rejected by the high court.