Fadnavis Calls Stone Attack on Anil Deshmukh a “Hoax” to Gain Sympathy Before Elections
Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dismissed the recent stone attack on former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh as a hoax, aimed at garnering sympathy in light of the upcoming assembly elections. Fadnavis, using an analogy from a Rajinikanth movie, criticized the circumstances surrounding the incident, saying the story appeared to be fabricated to distract from the looming defeat of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in the elections.
Deshmukh, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), sustained a head injury after unidentified assailants threw stones at his car while he was returning to Katol from a political meeting in Nagpur district. Fadnavis, who also heads the state’s Home department, raised doubts over the authenticity of the attack, questioning the claim that a “10-kg stone” had caused Deshmukh’s injuries, as the car appeared undamaged, with no visible cracks on the windshield or bonnet.
Further questioning the attack’s narrative, Fadnavis pointed out the discrepancy regarding Deshmukh’s minor injuries, considering that the stone was allegedly hurled from behind the car. He likened the incident to a scene from a Rajinikanth movie, calling it a fabrication aimed at discrediting the BJP and shifting focus away from the electoral challenges facing Deshmukh’s son, Salil Deshmukh, who is contesting the Katol assembly seat against BJP’s Charansingh Thakur.
Fadnavis also suggested that the entire narrative was being exaggerated by the MVA ecosystem, including NCP’s Sharad Pawar, to tarnish the BJP’s reputation ahead of the November 20 assembly elections.
