Vilasrao denies making any comments against home department

Mumbai, Mar 13 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today denied casting aspersions on the functioning of the police department during the recent Zilla Parishad elections.

Addressing a press conference here jointly with Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil after the customary tea-party, which was attended by the opposition after nearly three years, Mr Deshmukh said he, as the head of the coalition government, was responsible for all the good and bad decisions taken by the administration. ''How can I make such comments,''he asked.

Mr Deshmukh said members of the opposition, led by Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Ramdas Kadam, had raised the issue at their 30 minute interaction during the tea meeting. ''I categorically told them that i had not made such comments and it was wrong on their part to attribute comments to me based on hearsay or media reports,'' the Chief Minister said.

When asked about the hunger strike by the son of senior Congress minister Dr Patangrao Kadam in Sangli district, Mr Deshmukh said in rural areas, tension always prevails between two groups after results and ministers and legislators have to support one of them. ''Police have been instructed to take stock of the situation and maintain peace,''he added.

Mr Patil commented that post results, Congress and NCP are coming together to get their nominees elected to the posts of Zilla Parishad president and panchayat samiti chairman.

Asked about the ZP election results, Mr Deshmukh said the mandate was in favour of the Congress NCP coalition despite issues of farmers suicide and power shortage. ''Even in the suicide prone belt of Yavatmal district, Congress was victorious despite Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti leader Kishore Tiwari actively campaigning against the government,'' he added.

Referring to the budget session which begins here tommorrow, Mr Deshmukh said the government was prepared to discuss all issues raised by the opposition. There are about 16 new bills providing representation to members of different political parties based on the party's strength in the civic body and other tax related and finance bills.

The pending bill is the controversial Anti-Superstition bill, he added.

UNI