Anil Deshmukh will stay the Home Minister, says Jayant Patil after Param Bir Singh’s explosive letter

Against the backdrop of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh's allegations against Anil Deshmukh, Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) state unit president Jayant Patil on Sunday said there is no question of replacing the Maharashtra home minister.

Speaking to news agency ANI, the Maharashtra Minister said, "The letter (Param Bir Singh's letter to CM) is a reaction after Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister decided to take a tough stand. There is no question of replacing Maharashtra Home Minister".

Patil was referring to the Maharashtra government's decision to transfer former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh to the state's Home Guard department.

The major reshuffle came days after Mumbai Police encounter specialist Sachin Vaze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence Antilia in Mumbai.

According to reports, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Patil are scheduled to meet NCP supremo Sharad Pawar in Delhi today.

Patil gave this information but said that the meeting was planned three days ago and it is aimed at discussing issues related to the Pandharpur Assembly by-poll scheduled next month.

Param Bir's letter

In the eight-page letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh has alleged that Anil Deshmukh used to call police officers to his official residence and give them a "collection target" from bars, restaurants and other establishments.

The Home Minister "had a target to accumulate ₹100 crore a month", the Indian Police Service officer alleged.

The Chief Minister's Office, in a late-night release, said that Singh's "unsigned letter to Thackeray" was not sent from his official email ID and efforts were on to contact him to verify it.