NAGPUR: Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh claimed that he never said tweets by Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar were to be probed. "I only said that the role of BJP's IT cell will be looked into for the tweets by celebrities rallying around the Centre," he said.
"We respect Lata didi (Mangeshkar) like our God and Tendulkar is also loved by all in our country.
There is no question of any inquiry against them. I had only announced that the BJP IT cell would be probed to see whether they had provided the script for the tweets for the celebrities," said Deshmukh.
The state intelligence department is conducting the probe, he had earlier said. "Preliminary inquiry also have showed the alleged role of BJP IT cell's chief and 12 influencers have come to fore as the ones behind the celebrity tweets," said Deshmukh.
Many celebrities had reacted on social media using hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda after tweets by American pop star Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg backed the farmers' agitation.
Deshmukh also said the suicide of 22-year-old woman in Pune recently will be probed. "If a minister is involved, police will look into that too," he said.