Riteish Deshmukh Hits Back At BJP's Piyush Goyal For Remarks On His Father

Actor Riteish Deshmukh on Monday hit back at Union minister Piyush Goyal , who had claimed that former Maharashtra chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh was only concerned with getting his son a role in a film during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. 

Vilasrao Deshmukh passed away in 2012 and was the chief minister during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Deshmukh had to resign as chief minister in the aftermath of the terror attacks. 

In a statement on Twitter, Riteish Deshmukh said, “you have every right to question a CM but it is wrong to accuse someone who is not here to defend himself”.

“A bit late, 7 years ago — he would have replied to you.” 

He, however, did not name Goyal.

During an event in Ludhiana, Goyal had said, “You might remember the 26/11 terror attack. The then Congress government was weak and could not do anything.”

“The then chief minister (Vilasrao Deshmukh) had brought a film producer outside Oberoi Hotel while shooting and bombing were going on inside. The CM was concerned about getting his child a film role,” IANS quoted the minister as saying. 

Vilasrao Deshmukh had acknowledged in 2008 that taking along his actor son and film maker Ram Gopal Varma with him to visit the scene of the attacks was “a mistake”, according to The Indian Express .