By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: Reacting sharply to the accusation by the Opposition about his alleged involvement in the waqf scam, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh yesterday said in the state assembly that he would quit politics if his involvement in the scam is proved.
He said he thoroughly read the report of the parliamentary joint committee set up to investigate Waqf property encroachments but nowhere he found his name nor the name of any CM as accused. He also clarified that senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel is not the member of the committee as alleged by the opposition.
Earlier, the opposition leader Ramdas Kadam had said that there had been illegal sale and transfer of Waqf properties worth Rs 1,000 crore in Deshmukh’s tenure. Accusing the former CM and then Waqf Board chairman M A Aziz of being indulged in the irregularities, Kadam had demanded CBI probe in the case and trial against the culprits.
While admitting some irregularities in his tenure Deshmukh said as soon as he became aware of that he formed a one-member J K T Shaikh committee for investigation. He demanded the present state government to act tough against the guilty.