Team Herald
Alleging “character assassination” of his party colleagues in the Louis Berger bribery case, Leader of the Opposition Pratapsingh Rane compared the Crime Branch to the Nazi police – Gestapo.
“There is some kind of move from the government to make systematic character assassination of my opposition… today it is Vijai Sardesai (Independent MLA), tomorrow it will be me.. the day after it would be against anybody else… This should stop,” Rane said.
“We live in a democratic country, where there is freedom. Anybody is picked-up at night… no one is running away… they (crime branch) cannot act like Gestapo,” Rane said pointing to the midnight arrest of his former colleague PWD Minister Churchill Alemao in connection with the bribery case. Gestapo was the secret Nazi police.
“They (police) leak out some kind of information and rumours. I would like a strong statement from the chief minister,” Rane said.
Before Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar could reply, Deputy Speaker Anant Shet intervened and requested that the matter be discussed later. The matter, however, did not come up again. “Police are free to arrest anyone connected in the case at any time and hence there is no witch-hunt of certain politicians having been targeted. I was ready to reply in the House but Leader of Opposition failed to raise the question again,” Parsekar told media persons post the assembly session.
