Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra’s Minister for Water Resources Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil clarified here on Wednesday that he met the arrested godman “Captain” Ashok Kharat only on the insistence of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar.
Minister Vikhe Patil issued the clarification shortly after social activist Anjali Damania held a press conference here on Wednesday and announced the names of political leaders with links to godman Ashok Kharat, which included Vikhe Patil’s name as well.
“When Eknath Shinde came to Shirdi, I accompanied him to meet Ashok Kharat. At that time, Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar insisted on meeting Kharat, and so I went along with him. Some things happened due to my ignorance. Eknath Shinde did not know anything about Ashok Kharat. He told me that he wanted to go to a certain place. If he had known about Ashok Kharat, would he have gone there?” Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil asked.
“(Social activist) Anjali Damania must have a lot of information. New cases are coming to light every day, and allegations are being made. The SIT is investigating. Action should be taken against all those who are guilty, even if they are in high positions. An Inspector General (IG) of the Police went to meet Kharat. Call data records (CDR) have proved that several high-profile people met godman Kharat, but the investigation will be fair. If someone went to meet Kharat deliberately, then it is a serious matter,” Vikhe Patil said.
Meanwhile, tweeting from her X account, social activist Anjali Damania shared a video and photograph of Nashik Range Inspector General of Police Dattatray Karale attending an event along with godman Kharat and questioned his presence at the event.
“Dattatray Karale is an IG-level police officer. So why did he attend the event organised by such a person and even deliver a speech there? When common people watch this, why would they not believe in Kharat? There should be a departmental vigilance inquiry against the IG as well. There are as many as 18 calls that link him to Kharat. Director General of Police Sadanand Date should answer,” social activist Anjali Damania stated.
She also named Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil as one of the politicians who were in telephonic contact with arrested godman Ashok Kharat. “I did not expect this from Jayant Patil. I did not think that he would go to Kharat to find out his future. I was saddened to learn this. I thought he was a good person.”
Anjali Damania claimed that politicians and top officials made godman Kharat powerful. “Some of them had gone only to find out their future, since Kharat claimed to be an astrologer. But some politicians must have gone to achieve something else,” she said.
She told media persons here on Wednesday that Nashik MLA Nitin Pawar, Chandrakant Patil, Chandrakant Patil’s personal assistant Mangesh Deshpande, defeated candidate from Sinnar Uday Sangle, Legislative Council MLC Shivaji Shahane, Padmashree Popatrao Pawar, Dada Bhuse’s personal assistant Ramdas Khedkar, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, Prabhakar Kale, senior Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Sunil Tatkare and Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Jayant Patil made several phone calls to the arrested godman Ashok Kharat.
“The names of former Chairperson of the Maharashtra Women’s Commission Rupali Chakankar, son Soham Chakankar, her sister Pratibha Chakankar, Tanmay Chakankar and Prafulla Chakankar from the Chakankar family are also in this list,” Anjali Damania said.