Khadse likely to get clean chit by cops in Dawood call case

Bharatiya Janata party leader Eknath Khadse, who last week resigned from Maharashtra cabinet over multiple allegations of wrongdoing, is likely to be exonerated by the state police in connection with the charge that he received calls from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a senior official said.

The Home Department official said on the condition of anonymity that investigation into the alleged calls made to Khadse’s cell phone from a Karachi-based landline (allegedly registered in the name of Dawood's wife) was almost over, and the final report may come out within a week.

“The Anti-Terrorism Squad (which probed the allegation) has received all the call data records... so far nothing significant has come out of the investigations into these call data records,” the official said.

Earlier, the crime branch of Mumbai police too had said the allegation, made by the Aam Aadmi Party first, had no substance.

The ATS had summoned Gujarat-based Manish Bhangale, who calls himself ‘ethical hacker’ and who had claimed to have obtained the records of a Pakistani telecom firm, for questioning last week. But he did not turn up.

Bhangale has moved the Bombay high court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe; his petition would be heard on June 14.

The AAP had cited the records obtained by Bhangale.

“The source of the information might have been fake and the agency is exploring this possibility,” the official said.

Khadse has denied the allegation saying that the mobile number concerned was not even in operation for the past one year.

Meanwhile on Friday, Khadse made a futile bid to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval as well as senior party leaders in New Delhi.

Barring Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, other senior party leaders declined the audience with the heavyweight politician from North Maharashtra who went to Delhi with the documents to present his case before the party leadership.

A Maharashtra BJP leader said that Khadse tried to meet Modi who has returned from his five-nation tour, but without success.

“The party has already begun to groom Khadse’s archrival in Jalgaon district and state Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan to head the party in the district,” he said.

The BJP is more concerned now to ensure the party’s victory in upcoming elections to zilla parishad, municipal councils and panchayat samitis in Jalgaon district.

The party has a sizable support among the dominant Leva Patil community in Chopda, Yaval, Faizpur, Savda and Raver municipal councils, in Jalgaon zilla parishad and across panchayat samitis in the region.

According to the BJP leader, the major worry for the saffron party is the clout enjoyed by Khadse in the region which was reflected in the recent move by 14 corporators from Jalgaon Municipal Corporation who threatened to resign in protest against Khadse’s unceremonious exit as minister.

“In order to replace Khadse, an OBC (Other Backward Castes) leader from the region, we have directed Mahajan to be proactive in the party matters in Jalgaon district,” he said.

The first indication that Mahajan is being directed to fill the vacuum in Khadse’s absence came early this week when he was dispatched to state BJP headquarters near Mantralaya to deal with a motley group of Khadse's supporters who had come to protest against their leader’s ouster.

Khadse resigned last week, days after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis submitted a detailed report to BJP president Amit Shah on the controversies surrounding the minister and also met Modi in the national capital.

Earlier, he had deputed his daughter-in-law and BJP MP from Raver, Raksha Khadse who had met Modi to argue the case on his behalf.