What's happening in Maharashtra is not 'vikas', it is 'vasooli': RS Prasad over corruption allegations on Anil Deshmukh

Prasad said, "The Maharashtra government is 'of extortion (vasooli), by extortion and for extortion'.

New Delhi: Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday (March 23, 2021) hit out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and said that 'what's happening in Maharashtra is not 'vikas' (development), but it is 'vasooli' (extortion). Prasad's comments came amid the controversy over the corruption allegations on the Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

The Union Minister also alleged that a 'Khela' is happening in Maharashtra too. He said, "The Maharashtra government is 'of extortion (vasooli), by extortion and for extortion'. Prasad said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government has lost moral authority to govern. 

He also slammed Sharad Pawar and said that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo's political credibility has been dented after he was forced to speak patent falsehood.

Earlier on Saturday, former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote a letter to Uddhav Thackeray and alleged that Anil Deshmukh had indulged in 'malpractice' and asked the suspended API Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

In his letter, Singh stated, 'Anil Deshmukh had asked Sachin Vaze to make a collection. Vaze himself told me about it."

Singh also alleged that Maharashtra Home Minister had called Sachin Vaze at his government residence several times and had set a target of Rs 100 crore every month. 

"Deshmukh had told me that there are 1750 more restaurants in Mumbai and if every restaurant pays Rs 2-3 lakh a month, then Rs 50 crores can be generated, the remaining amount can be collected from the other establishments," Singh wrote.

The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Vaze were probed without obstruction.