Since Sachin Vaze’s arrest, numerous leaders of the ruling party came under the scanner of ED and NAI. Vaze a dreaded mastermind criminal in Khakhi is been pressurized to release statements against ruling party leaders to create unrest in the state. After Anil Deshmukh, now Anil Parab is on the hit list because Parab is one of the very crucial and important leaders of Sena.
Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray inducted Parab into the state cabinet in December 2019. The Thackeray’s know Parab, an advocate by profession, for his loyalty. Apart from his aggressive political style, he handles the legal issues of the party and plays a crucial role in the civic elections.
Every Minister from Shiv Sena is important to the present Government or the Shiv Sena itself. Because Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising of three parties of entirely different ideologies. Such Ministers have few MLAs under their fold and if the Minister becomes unimportant or doesn’t get due ministry or position, he may ditch the party and break away with his loyal MLAs this may bring down the Govt.
Last week, Parab was caught on camera directing police officers to arrest Union Minister Narayan Rane. Parab, the guardian minister of Ratnagiri, was in a press conference during which he broke off to have two phone conversations. During his second call, which was made apparently to a police officer, was heard demanding Rane’s arrest.
Soon after Rane’s arrest, Parab was asked to appear before the ED. But there was no clarity as of now on why Parab has been summoned. The Maharashtra minister has been under the scanner after former Mumbai Police
Ex-officer Sachin Vaze, in a letter he tried to submit to the NIA court, had claimed that Parab had asked him to carry out extortion to the tune of Rs 50 crore from a private trust. He also alleged that Parab told him to look into the inquiry against the fraudulent contractors were listed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and asked him to collect at least ‘Rs 2 crore’ from about 50 such contractors.
A suspended motor vehicle inspector of the Nashik Regional Transport Office (RTO) Gajendra Patil had also accused Parab and six officers of corruption, amounting to multiple crores, in connection with transfers and postings in the RTO.
Parab gained prominence in 2017 after the Shiv Sena and BJP broke the alliance and fought the Mumbai civic elections separately. During the elections, Parab countered all the attacks of the BJP, including its attempt to corner Sena over the allegations of corruption in BMC.
Within months, Parab was named as the party’s group leader in the legislative council by sidelining senior party leaders. Over the years, Parab’s closeness with Matoshree increased, and he gained the confidence of the party chief Uddhav Thackeray by playing important roles in the party. He also played a key role in the party’s election strategies for the Lok Sabha and the state assembly polls in 2019. In December 2019, Thackeray sidelined the senior leaders and offered the ministerial berth to Parab. Since then, he has emerged as the troubleshooter for the party and has been attacking the BJP over several issues.
The party leadership consults Parab on all important matters, such as issues of housing, legal, BMC, governance, and anything else which is of significance to the party. Due to the crucial role, he has been playing since his induction into the state cabinet in 2019 and because of his loyalty to the Thackeray’s, Parab has often found himself in the line of attack by the Opposition.
Days after the resignation of Anil Deshmukh as Home Minister following a CBI inquiry directed by the Bombay High Court into the corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, another minister of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Anil Parab has been embroiled in a controversy over corruption allegations levelled by the arrested Mumbai police officer Sachin Vaze. Sachin Vaze (assistant police inspector) who is the prime accused in the Antilia bomb scare has written a letter to the NIA court accusing Anil Deshmukh and Anil Parab of ransom.
In his handwritten letter, Vaze has claimed that NCP chief Sharad Pawar was against his reinstatement into Mumbai Police in 2020 and wanted it to be revoked. It was to this that Deshmukh had told him to pay Rs 2 crores. He also claimed that Anil Parab had asked him to squeeze 2 crores each from 50 contractors associated with the BMC.
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