The New Indian Express News

Maharashtra CM defends Dy CM Shinde as allegations surface over his involvement in drug racket

MUMBAI: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday defended deputy CM Eknath Shinde regarding the seizure of Rs 145 crore worth 45 kilograms of narcotics in Savaari village near Mahabaleshwar in Satara district of Maharashtra. CM Fadnavis lambasted Opposition leaders for deliberately linking this drug seizure to his deputy CM Eknath Shinde, calling it a baseless attempt to malignsomeone's image. He said it is inappropriate and unfair to link the incident with Shinde. The emerging evidence so far does not indicate any direct or indirect involvement of Eknath Shinde and his family members in this drug racket. There is no proof to establish that people from the Shinde family were involved in this drug racket. But political opponents are deliberately making baseless allegations, Fadnavis said. Maharashtra Congress president, Harshavardhan Sagar, said that the Satara Police and Mumbai crime branch busted the major MD Drug racket and factory in Satara district, but the chief minister Fadnavis, rather than taking further action he is trying to protect the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, whose relatives have been involved in this drug racket for a long time. He said that this racket and factory of MD drugs had been in operation for a long time, but the police deliberately did not take action because of the involvementof a notable politician. The local body polls are declared, so this raid will be used to blackmail Shinde by the BJP, Sapkal claimed. Uddhav Thackeray, led Shiv Sena leader Sushama Andhare also alleged that there is a high-level cover-up in this major drug racket where many people from the ruling party are involved. She alleged that after the raid, the police are not further investigating this racket; in fact, they are trying to hide names from the official record so that powerful politicians can be saved and protected from arrest and action. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis appreciated the work of the Satra Police for their successful raid and for exposing the ongoing illegal drug trade.