Mumbai:
Vilasrao Deshmukh, who on Wednesday was elevated to the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj ministry as part of the Cabinet reshuffle has defended his new role amid several raised eyebrows.
Deshmukh, who was shifted from the Heavy Industries portfolio, had just a month ago been censured by the Supreme Court for stopping police action on a complaint by farmers against a money lender, who is the father of a Congress legislator, Dilip Sananda.
But Deshmukh brushed aside the controversy saying it is an isolated incident and would not affect his image or work.
"I don't want to comment on SC. The case is still open. It isnot a dead end. I am discussing this with my lawyer and I am seeking legalremedy. This is one isolated incident and I don't think this will affect mywork or image in this department", said Deshmukh.
The case pertains to the time when Vilasrao was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The court had said: "The Chief Minister has no business to interfere with the functioning of the 1946 act regulating money lending in the state."
Dismissing the state's appeal, the court enforced a cost of Rs10 lakh on the state government.
In 2006 when Deshmukh was Chief Minister, his private secretary had allegedly called a police station in Vidarbha's Buldhana district and asked them not to register a case.
The issue originated from Vidarbha which reports the highest number of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in the country. It hence made headlines and saw strong political reactions with Shiv Sena leaders demanding Deshmukh's immediate resignation.
While Deshmukh had refused to comment on the case, Congress MLA Dilip Sananda had said his secretary did call the police station but asked them to conduct a fair inquiry.