NCP firefighting to salvage RR Patil’s image

The NCP on Wednesday swung into damage control mode to explain how home minister RR Patil has no criminal links, and claimed video images showing his ‘association’ with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s key aide were a coincidence.

Patil tried to explain he had no knowledge about the underworld’s presence at an iftar party hosted at the house of the minority commission chairman, Naseem Siddiqui. The developments cast a shadow on the ‘Mr Clean’ in the DF government.

NCP leaders admitted, “Patil often invited wrath for his failures in the home department. But now the images with criminals will be difficult to wipe off.”

On Tuesday, a TV channel showed video-recordings of Patil with dreaded criminals such as Salim Patel alias Salim Goa Gutka, a key aide of Dawood, and Irfan Qureshi and Mobin Qureshi. Mobin, though an NCP member, has criminal cases against him.

State NCP president Madhukar Pichhad said, “Political leaders often, at the invitation of a party leader or activist, attend iftar parties or other functions. They have no idea of the guests list.”

However, the party has decided to get to the root of the problem to find out who was responsible for getting criminals to the party.

Some Congress and NCP leaders questioned Patil’s ignorance. A cabinet minister said, “As home minister, he should have sensed that he was sitting next to Salim Patel, who was arrested in the Hyderabad blast case. There are many forgery and extortion cases pending against him. Similarly, Qureshi is a blacklisted developer.”

NCP political managers said, “If Patil did not know the people, why was he seen chatting with them? He should have at least restrained himself from engaging in a dialogue with strangers.”

When the NCP asked Siddiqui why criminals were present at the party, he said, “I did not extend invitations to any of the controversial persons. I have no idea how they came to my place.”

Siddiqui said he and Patil were trapped in the controversy to defame them. “I do not even know who Patel is. Mobin has been a party worker since 2000, and has been photographed with many prominent personalities,” said Siddiqui, showing Mobin’s photographs with Congress MP Milind Deora and Amin Patel.

The BJP argued, “It was not one of those crowded public functions. Patil was in the company of criminals in a spacious flat.”

Madhav Bhandari (BJP) said, “I can recount a dozen cases where Patil has protected criminals. Whether it was BJP activist Ankush Langde’s murder or the attack on Shashikant Shirore at Pimpri-Chinchwad, the home ministry took no action. Both the activists raised their voices against illegal land deals.”