Maharashtra govt to make statement on Salman issue on July 20

The Maharashtra government on Friday said it will make a statement in the Legislative Assembly on July 20 on the controversy surrounding the audio tape conversation purportedly between actor Salman Khan and actress Aishwariya Rai.

As the opposition raised the issue for the second day, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil informed the House that the government will make the statement to clear its stand on the issue.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had on Thursday assured that the matter will be probed after alleged transcripts of the phone conversation between Khan and Rai appeared in a newspaper.

Patil said he had discussed the issue on Friday with senior police officials, including Mumbai Police Commissioner A N Roy, and was assured of a 'thorough probe'.

The tapes of the telephonic conversation carried a voice allegedly that of an inebriated Khan intimidating and abusing Aishwarya Rai to perform at an entertainment programme organised by fugitive gangster Abu Salem.