Mumbai, Sep 20 (PTI) Amid a row over BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's failed bid to enter Kolhapur district post his allegations of corruption against Maharashtra minister Hasan Mushrif, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has nothing to do with the Home department's action against the former BJP MP.

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Interestingly, opposition BJP claimed that CM Thackeray was not kept in the loop vis-a-vis action against Somaiya by the police department, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Home department, currently headed by Nationalist Congress Party's Dilip Walse Patil.

"I spoke to CM Uddhav Thackeray and he said the chief minister's office has nothing to do with it," Raut told reporters and asserted that there was no vendetta politics involved.

He said the home department's action of preventing Somaiya from entering Kolhapur was taken to maintain law and order.

The Rajya Sabha MP also alleged that the opposition BJP was trying to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress) government in Maharashtra and "malign the state on the Centre's directives".

Meanwhile, BJP leaders alleged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was not informed about the action against Somaiya.

Earlier in the day, Somaiya claimed he was stopped by police at Karad while he was on his way to Kolhapur after the district authorities cited law and order as well as security concerns following his allegations of corruption against Maharashtra Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif.

After being stopped, Somaiya addressed a press conference in Karad, alleging that attempts were made by Mumbai police on Sunday night to prevent him from boarding a Kolhapur-bound train and he was also jostled. The BJP leader also said he would soon go to Kagal in Kolhapur, the Assembly constituency represented by Mushrif, and file a police complaint against the minister over alleged irregularities committed by him.

Mushrif had denied the allegations.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil claimed there was a lack of coordination among Maha Vikas Aghhadi (MVA) ministers over the Somaiya episode.

"Is this the way a government is being run? The home department is taking some decisions, the CM does not know. When the MVA government was formed, I had advised Uddhav Thackeray not give the Home ministry to NCP," he told reporters in Pune.

Senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar also claimed the CM was not apprised in advance about the action against Somaiya and alleged law and order machinery has collapsed in Maharashtra.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Shelar said, "Uddhav Thackeray was not taken into confidence on the detention of Somaiya who is a whistleblower in a corruption case. There is no protection for a whistleblower in the state. Political and administrative machinery has collapsed in the state," Shelar said, adding Maharashtra's image was tarnished because of the "anarchic" way of functioning of the MVA government.

"Former Maharashtra home minister (Anil Deshmukh) and former Mumbai police commissioner (Param Bir Singh) is wanted in criminal cases. The Delhi Police arrested a terrorist in Mumbai whereas local police were not aware of it," the BJP leader said.

Shelar said CM Thackeray should decide whether he wanted to save his government or protect the state from slipping into anarchy.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)