Why would I be jailed, asks MP Navneet Rana

After writing a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant who allegedly threatened her for raising Sachin Waze case in the Lower House, lawmaker Navneet Rana will now approach the police against him, stating that if a woman is not safe inside Parliament then how will she be safe in Maharashtra.

New Delhi: After writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, who allegedly threatened her for raising the Sachin Waze case in the Lower House, Independent MP from Amaravati in Maharashtra, Navneet Rana on Tuesday said that she wanted to ask Sawant "on what basis would she be sent to jail".

When asked about what she will do about Sawant's alleged threat she said, "I have already raised the issue with Speaker and Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi. If I get time on the floor of the house, I will ask Arvind Sawant on what basis he will send me to jail."

"I heard him say that my body language was not right while I was talking about Uddhav Thackeray. Do women have to take a class in body language from Shiv Sena before talking about Uddhav Thackeray?" she asked. "Will I will be sent to jail on the grounds that I have spoken against Uddhav Thackeray?" Rana asked.

"I was threatened several times over the phone by many people. They even threatened acid attacks. But this is an elected MP talking. If Shiv Sena can treat an elected MP in such a manner then one can imagine how they would be treating a common woman," she said.

Independent MP from Amaravati Navneet Rana writes letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah against Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant

"I am going to file a police complaint today," she added. Rana alleged in her letter to Om Birla that Sawant had threatened her by saying "Tu Maharashtra mein kaise ghoomti hai main dekhta hun aur tere ko bhi jail mein daalenge (How will you move about in Maharashtra now, I will see how you can do so and you will be also put in jail)." "The kind of language used against me by Arvind Sawant is an insult to me and also the women of the entire country. I want strict police action against him," she wrote.

Independent MP from Amaravati Navneet Rana writes letter to PM Modi against Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant

However, Shiv Sena MP Sawant told a news agency that he did not threaten Rana. "This is a big lie. Why will I threaten her? If there were people present near her at that time, then they can say if I had threatened her," he said.

In the Lok Sabha, several MPs including Rana had raised questions on Shiv Sena and NCP over the extortion allegations against Maharashtra Home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Rana had said, "On what basis was a man suspended for 16 years and jailed, reinstated? During the term of the BJP government, Uddhav Thackeray had himself called up Devendra Fadnavis to reinstate Sachin Waze. Fadnavis had refused. When Thackeray government came to power, they reinstated him."

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Saturday wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had indulged in "malpractices" and asked suspended API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month.

The allegations made by Singh came a day after Deshmukh had said that Singh was moved out as Mumbai Police Commissioner so that cases pertaining to Waze were probed without obstruction. In the letter, Singh, who has now been posted as Commandant General of Home Guards, had said that he has been "made a scapegoat to divert attention from the actual wrongdoers".

He had alleged that Sachin Waze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police, was called by Deshmukh to his official residence several times in the last few months and "repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds".

Waze, Assistant Police Inspector in the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), who was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at Mumbai Police headquarters after his name came up in Mansukh Hiran death case, has been sent to the NIA custody till March 25, in connection with his alleged role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Mukesh Ambani's residence.

(With inputs from agency)