Nagpur: Katol BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh is finding himself in troubled waters after his Nilgai hunting photograph went viral on social media sites. Forget his opponents, the MLA is now facing severe flak from almost all quarters for his ‘adventure’. The main rival, Congress party, is now planning to meet Forest Department officials and lodge a formal complaint against Ashish Deshmukh for poaching a protected species.
The incident pertains to a village Kedarpura in Katol Tehsil. The photograph that went viral shows the BJP MLA standing with a man holding a licensed gun along with carcass of Nilgai. As the issue snowballed into a major controversy, the MLA Deshmukh tried to clear the air and issued a clarification. In a letter sent to Forest Department, Deshmukh has said that the Nilgai and a jangli suar (wild boar) were hunted after due permission as the animals had unleashed terror among farmers by damaging their crops.
Talking to Nagpur Today, the Katol BJP MLA Ashish Deshmukh said that according to a Government order issued on July 22, 2015, the farmers whose crops are damaged can shoot down the species of animals. The said incident took place four days ago. “I have not done anything wrong. The farmers toil hard for months and the animals go on rampage and destroy the crops within minutes.
The media is flashing the report of his hunting of a protected species but I have not done anything wrong. The permission was given by the State Government. The order issued by Government has provision of seeking help from a licensed gun holder in such hunting,” clarified Deshmukh.
