Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh claimed that a person named Samit Kadam met him three years ago and forced him to give a statement against Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, but he refused to do so. Kadam refuted the allegations and claimed that it was Deshmukh who had called him for a meeting.
According to Anil Deshmukh, the man who approached him assured the former minister that if he signed the affidavits, ED and CBI would not come after him. File Pic
Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh claimed that a person named Samit Kadam met him three years ago and forced him to give a statement against Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, but he refused to do so, news agency ANI reported. Kadam refuted the allegations and claimed that it was Deshmukh who had called him for a meeting.
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According to Deshmukh, Kadam is close to current Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and was also given Y-category security.
"Samit Kadam, came to meet me three years ago with a sealed envelope, containing documents that I was asked to sign as an affidavit. The affidavit had false allegations against Uddhav Thackeray and (his son and then tourism and environment minister) Aaditya Thackeray. This Samit Kadam is very close to Devendra Fadnavis and is related to Fadnavis. Everyone knows about his closeness to Devendra Fadnavis," the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader said.
Deshmukh added that later Kadam also tried making CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar sign such an affidavit.
"Despite not being a public representative, he [Kadam] was given Y-category security. I was forced to give statements against Uddhav Thackeray, but I refused. After his experiments failed, the same experiment was done with Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar," he claimed.
Deshmukh shared that the “threats” were made three years ago, when he was the Home Minister in Thackeray’s cabinet. Ajit Pawar was Thackeray’s deputy then. "At that time, Devendra Fadnavis caught (former Mumbai Police chief) Parambir Singh and made false allegations against me," Deshmukh alleged.
The former Maharashtra Home Minister said he had refused to give in to the threats. "He threatened me about releasing my videos. I would say, "Baat niklegi to dur tak jayegi... (everything will be exposed)," Deshmukh said.
Deshmukh also said that he refused to give in to Devendra Fadnavis and that he would never make false allegations. "I had told Devendra Fadnavis that I would never make such false allegations. I have never seen such politics in Maharashtra. They did not even spare children, they tried to target them with dirty politics. He said either go to jail or join the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)," the NCP (SCP) leader said.
Responding to the allegations levelled against him, Kadam, said that it was even impossible to reach Deshmukh three years ago if the latter was not willing to meet someone as he was the Home Minister then.
"I don't know why is this matter being raised now. Anil Deshmukh was himself the Home Minister of the state and was having Z-plus security. So it was out of question that I could reach out to him without his own will," Kadam said.
Kadam admitted that he had gone to meet Deshmukh but it was only because he was summoned for a meeting.
"Yes, I had gone there to meet him because he had called me for that meeting. He requested me to talk to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and then LOP (Leader of Opposition) Devendra Fadnavis ji and see if they can help him (Anil Deshmukh) get him out of his problems. So it is completely false to say that I went to meet him on the instructions of Devendra Fadnavis because Devendra ji is not even remotely connected to my meeting with Anil Deshmukh Ji," Kadam claimed.
According to him, the video of the meeting is irrelevant because he had met Dekhmukh only to keep the latter’s request.
"If he (Deshmukh) says that he had some video of me meeting with him, then that video is not of that importance because I met him on his own request. So if there is a video of that meeting, it is not going to make any difference," Kadam said.
On July 25, Deshmukh, in a press conference, on Thursday said, "Pressure was put on me to speak against Uddhav Thackeray, Aadtiya Thackeray, and Ajit Pawar. I have video recordings to prove it. If someone challenges me, then I will reveal everything," Deshmukh had said.
A day before the press conference, Deshmukh accused Fadnavis of asking him to write four affidavits against Thackeray, Aaditya, Ajit Pawar, and (former minister) Anil Parab.
"Three years ago, Devendra Fadnavis sent a man to me and asked me to write four affidavits. I was asked to make written allegations against Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar, and Anil Parab. Devendra Fadnavis sent the affidavits and asked me to sign them. I was told that if I did this, then neither ED (Enforcement Directorate) nor CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) would come after me," he said.
Deshmukh added that ED and CBI were sent after him because he decided not to make any false allegations against the four people.
Fadnavis, however, denied the allegations and said those making personal allegations against him will not be spared.
"The FIR (First information report) against Deshmukh was registered by CBI after clear orders from the chief justice of the Bombay High Court. Deshmukh also made personal allegations against," Fadnavis said while speaking to ANI.
"The FIR against Anil Deshmukh was registered by CBI after clear orders by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. At that time, it was not even our government in the state. Anil Deshmukh has been making personal allegations against me for a long time now. Usually, I don't go behind anyone, but if someone comes for me, in response, I don't spare that individual," he said, adding, "I have several audios and videos provided by Anil Deshmukh's party men in which he is heard saying a lot about Uddhav Thackeray and (his own party chief) Sharad Pawar saheb. When the time comes, I will release those.”
(With ANI inputs)
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