Mumbai: In an apparent damage-control step, Shiv Sena minister Yogesh Kadam’s family has surrendered the licence of the Kandivali bar that was allegedly being operated as a dance bar illegally.
The development comes against the backdrop of growing calls from the Opposition demanding the junior home minister’s resignation after the matter was brought to light by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab in the legislative assembly last month.
“Yes, we have returned the licence for the orchestra bar [to the police], but this happened long back,” Ramdas Kadam told HT on Friday. Yogesh Kadam did not respond to calls.
Parab had alleged that the Savali Bar in Kandivali, whose licence is in the name of Yogesh Kadam’s mother Jyoti, had been illegally turned into a dance bar. He claimed that the police raided the establishment in May and found that it was a dance bar with 22 bar girls.
The Kadams had refuted the allegations, saying they had given the bar to someone else to run on contract. They later said that it was an orchestra bar, which has live musical performances and up to five women standing on a stage, but no dancing. Yogesh Kadam also threatened to sue Parab for defamation.
A Shiv Sena (UBT) delegation later met Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan and provided evidence about the alleged dance bar, while seeking Kadam’s removal from the council of ministers. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had expressed his unhappiness over the controversy with his deputy and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, but gave a clean chit to Kadam last week. Shinde has also publicly supported Kadam on this matter.
Reacting to the surrender of the bar licence, Parab said, “They (Kadams) have surrendered the licence now, but committed the offence earlier. The family of a minister has to be responsible. Yogesh Kadam has to resign.’’ In response, Ramdas Kadam said, “That madman has no business. He keeps talking about us all the time.”
Meanwhile, social activist Anjali Damania, who had also demanded Yogesh Kadam’s resignation after visiting Savali Bar last week, said, “First, they (Kadams) said that the bar was not theirs, the licences weren’t theirs. They also said it’s not a dance bar but an orchestra bar. They also said that it was leased out. Now, they give a letter to cancel the bar [licence]. What’s true and what’s false? This letter was given because the theft was caught. If it hadn’t been caught, would they have sent the letter?”
Local police officers did not react to the developments. Deputy commissioner of police Mahesh Chemte didn’t answer calls, while senior inspector Jaywant Shinde of the Samata Nagar police station, under whose jurisdiction the bar is located, said he would check and get back.