BJP gave 'return gift' to ex-top cop P.B. Singh for helping topple MVA govt, claims Congress

Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) In a stinging attack, the Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday accused ruling ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of returning the 'favour' to former Mumbai Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh for his help rendered to topple the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

State Congress President Nana Patole said that the BJP has now compensated Singh - who was suspended by the MVA regime headed by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray - by revoking the ex-top cop's suspension and other issues.

"The entire conspiracy to defame the MVA government by plotting the planting of a gelatine-laden vehicle outside the Antilia (residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani), or accusing a minister of collecting Rs 100 crore bribe has fallen flat. It is also clear now that Singh was a puppet in the hands of Devendra Fadnavis," Patole said.

Hence, in order to return the 'favours' to Singh, the government of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and (Deputy CM) Fadnavis have helped honorably rehabilitate him, taking back his suspension without following the due legal process, he added.

This, said Patole, was done despite the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) clearly stating that the Bombay High Court had given a clear order to the CBI to probe, file a charge sheet and conduct a department inquiry against Singh.

The Shinde government did not do this, it did not review his suspension and extend it as required, failed to conduct a department probe and hence Singh got the relief in the hearings before the CAT, claimed Patole.

"When I was the Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly, I had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in Delhi, who had said that some people had given him a corruption file pertaining to Singh. He had also said that the concerned person had sent a copy of the file to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state Chief Minister," said Patole.

Thereafter, Patole said, Singh met him and reportedly said that "this is how it works in the department".

"It is clear that even though the PMO, CMO and the Lok Sabha Speaker's office were fully aware of Singh's corruption, the BJP government in the state did not even conduct a simple inquiry, far from taking any action against him. And now the ex-officer has been given a clean chit," said Patole.

He also accused the Shinde-Fadnavis government of deliberately weakening the case to save Singh on technical grounds, but their mentality has been fully exposed before the people now.