MVA govt. trying to make me co-accused when I’m the whistleblower’ in the phone tapping case, says Devendra Fadnavis  

Maha Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil denies MVA Govt. acting vindictively towards Fadnavis 

@the_news_21

Mumbai: Accusing the ruling ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) government of attempting to brow-beat him in connection with a case of illicit phone tapping, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday claimed that the Mumbai police were trying to make him a co-accused in the matter. The MVA government on the other hand vehemently denied that it was acting vindictively against the BJP leader. 

The former Maharashtra chief minister, further attributed the ruling government’s action (Mumbai police notice against Fadnavis) as a malicious response to the scams of MVA government ministers that he had been uncovering, more so, that of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Nawab Malik over latter’s alleged links with fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. 

Police security at Sagar, the official residence of Fadnavis in Malabar Hill, was beefed up as BJP workers protested against the ‘notice’ issued to Fadnavis outside his Mumbai residence. Prior to the arrival of the Mumbai police team, several BJP leaders including Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Pravin Darekar, MLA Nitesh Rane, MLC Prasad Lad among others gathered at Fadnavis’ residence in a show of solidarity. BJP activists burnt copies of the police notice in different parts of the State. 

Even as the Mumbai police team recorded Fadnavis’ statement for nearly two hours, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said that the BJP had no need to “create a riot over the matter” and that the police had not sent Fadnavis a notice as “an accused in the case.”  

The Maharashtra Home Minister clarified that the police had given him a questionnaire to Fadnavis five-six times in the past year as to what his source of information was regarding a pen drive that had come into his possession in connection with the case and which he mentioned publicly, but that the BJP leader had not yet given his reply.   

A case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) cyber police station last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID). Before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report. 

Walse-Patil further stated, “This case (illicit phone tapping) is now a year old and was registered on March 26,2021. The complaint was regarding some sensitive material and technical information missing from the Mumbai SID office. A case has been registered under the Indian Telegraph Act and Official Secrets Act against five unidentified persons in this regard and 24 witnesses have been examined. Since Fadnavis was the last witness, the police had gone to his house to record his statement to conclude the case and there is nothing in this.”

He further argued that the summons issued to Fadnavis was not a notice. 

Questioning the timing of the notice during the ongoing budget session of the State Assembly, Fadnavis retorted that there was a big difference in the police questionnaire that was sent to him previously by the Mumbai police and the questions that were put to him today.  

Fadnavis further stated, “The tenor of the questions asked by the police today was as if I had violated the Officials Secrets Act by leaking sensitive information that I had come in possession of… The MVA govt. is trying to pressure me to stop me from uncovering their scams. But I will not cave in and will move the High Court and urge that this case be given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).” 

The BJP leader claimed that he had uncovered a massive transfer scam that was going on in Maharashtra last year and had accordingly informed the Union Home Secretary, who was the competent authority in this case, without putting out sensitive documents in the public domain by giving it to the press.  

Fadnavis further added, “The rattled MVA government then lodged a case as to how sensitive documents got leaked out of government departments (State Intelligence Department, SID). I naturally could not give documents to the MVA govt. as they were the ones who had been suppressing it for the last six months.” 

Presenting himself as a whistle-blower who had blown the lid on the case, Fadnavis said that he had answered all questions put by the Mumbai police and that it was unlikely that they would be bothering him again. 

Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department. 

The whole issue is being seen as another chapter in the ongoing feud between the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress led MVA and the BJP in Maharashtra and the Centre. 

Hitting out at the notice to Fadnavis, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane, son of Union Minister Narayan Minister, said: “Why is Fadnavis’ statement being recorded when the Assembly is in session? Is it because Fadnavis has unearthed links between Nawab Malik and Dawood Ibrahim?”   

BJP leader Pravin Darekar said that instead of probing who was involved in the phone tapping scandal, the Mumbai police at the behest of the MVA were prosecuting Fadnavis, who had blown the lid on the case. 

The BJPs Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council remarked, “Earlier, the Mumbai police had summoned Fadnavis to record his statement. Later, when they saw the strength of his support, the MVA government backed off and instead sent the police to Fadnavis’ home.” 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nana Patole sarcastically remarked it was the BJP’s culture “to distribute sweets and gloat” when some non-BJP leaders were prosecuted by central agencies and to protest in a fit of righteousness when their leaders were being legitimately investigated.