NANDVI, MAHAD, February 23: Retaliating against former chief minister Abdul Rehman Antulay's charges, state chief minister Manohar Joshi alleged that the former had close relations with accused booked under TADA for the 1992 communal riots and 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai.Joshi, addressing a press conference in his home town Nandvi, said he would submit all documents showing Antulay's relations to the Central Government and request an inquiry and action.
Antulay recently said Joshi was saved from going to jail in a cheating case because of his intervention. To bolster his argument, Joshi presented a list of the accused booked under TADA and challenged Antulay to clarify his relations with them. ``A certain Shariff Abdul Gafaoor Parkar alias Dadabhai, who is the son-in-law of Antulay's elder sister, is a prime accused in supplying arms and ammunition which was used during the riots and bomb blasts. Parkar is charged with assisting landing of arms and explosives on the Konkan coast, supplying the sameto Tiger Memon's men, imparting them training about explosions, helping another criminal Dawood Taklya to go to Dubai to meet Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon,''the CM charged.
Commnenting on the cheating case, Joshi said Antulay was lying about his alleged involvement in a cheating case in 1971. It was alleged that Joshi cheated 28 students appearing for the SSC exams not forwarding their application forms to the examination board and keeping the money with him. However, Joshi was acquitted from all the charge by the court.
Joshi said, ``On April 19, 1997, Antulay who was minister of state for education in the then Congress government, made a statement in the house that he did not use his power to save me. How can he claim today that he saved me from going to jail?''
Joshi said the alliance government in Maharashtra will not collapse as stated by Pawar. He said 25 Independent MLAs were with him and strongly supported the government. Joshi also said he had summoned information on the Srikrishna Commissionreport from the Home department.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
