Deskhmukh additionally called for the formation of an inquiry committee headed by a retired high court judge to investigate the alleged use of fake certificates for securing teaching jobs.
Senior NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday firmly dismissed speculation about a possible merger between the rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), asserting that no such discussions have taken place within the Sharad Pawar-led camp, PTI reported.
“The speculation about the potential merger is just a media discussion. No meeting or discussion has been held in the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) camp,” Deshmukh told reporters, amid growing chatter about reconciliation between Sharad Pawar and his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Talk of a potential reunion surfaced after Sharad Pawar recently said it was up to NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar to decide on the matter. The NCP had split in July 2023, with Ajit Pawar aligning with the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
At the same press conference, Deshmukh, a former Maharashtra Home Minister, demanded a high-level probe into what he described as a large-scale scam involving bogus recruitment of teachers in government-run primary schools in Nagpur district.
He called for the formation of an inquiry committee headed by a retired high court judge to investigate the alleged use of fake certificates for securing teaching jobs.
“Thousands of teachers have been appointed using bogus certificates. This scam may not be limited to Nagpur—it could be statewide. This is bigger than the infamous Vyapam scam of Madhya Pradesh,” he claimed.
Deshmukh also said that members of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will discuss a joint strategy for the upcoming local body elections. He noted that MVA partners plan to contest the polls together in areas where coordination is possible.
The statement follows a Supreme Court directive issued last week, instructing the Maharashtra State Election Commission to conduct the long-pending local body elections within four months.
With inputs from PTI.