Maharashtra / All ministers of Maharashtra govt will resign one by one: Athawale

Mumbai: Hitting out at Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Government over the Anil Deshmukh issue, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday said all the ministers of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will have to resign one by one in the coming days.

Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister said, "The former police commissioner alleged Anil Deshmukh of extorting Rs 100 crores every month. Deshmukh's two aides have been served notice for investigation. I believe more such notices will be served. In the coming days, all the ministers of the Uddhav Thackeray government will have to resign one by one. And finally, Uddhav Thackeray will have to resign."

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday questioned two personal assistants (PA) of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with the corruption charges levelled against him by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh. Both of them were summoned by CBI on the same day.

Deshmukh tendered his resignation to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on April 5. In his letter to Thackeray, Param Bir Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crores every month.

Slamming Maharashtra Government over COVID issue, Athawale said, "Lockdown should be imposed where it is necessary and crowds are gathering. It is important that labourers should not face any problem. The Maharashtra Government has not taken proper steps, due to which the COVID cases are increasing."

He further hailed the Centre for conducting the 'Tika Utsav'.

"Jyotiba Phule and Bhimrao Ambedkar fought for justice. Keeping their birth anniversary in mind, I welcome and congratulate the Prime Minister for the decision to celebrate the Tika Utsav," he said.

The Union Minister condemned the Cooch Behar violence that took the lives of four on Saturday during the fourth phase of the West Bengal assembly polls.

"Whatever happened was bad. The voting should have happened peacefully. Mamata Banerjee can see her defeat. That is the reason her supporters and her party's goons have been causing violence," said Athawale.

On West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remark that the Election Commission should change the term 'Model code of conduct' (MCC) to 'BJP code of conduct', he said, "People are saying that Mamata is saying the MCC should change. But the people want to change her government. She has bankrupted Bengal in ten years. If BJP's government comes, a Sonar Bangla will be created."