Admitting that he had been eased out as Chief Minister due to a public outcry after the terror attacks in Mumbai, Vilasrao Deshmukh said taking along his actor son and film maker Ram Gopal Varma with him to visit the scene of the attacks was “a mistake”.

He denied that pressure from the Congress’ coalition partner, the NCP, was responsible for his ouster. “In a democracy, it is necessary to respect the anguish, anger and insecurity of the people,” Deshmukh told mediapersons on Thursday before submitting his resignation to Governor S C Jamir. He added he was resigning after owning moral responsibility as the head of the state for the attacks.

Asked if his “love for Bollywood” (taking along actor son Riteish and Varma) had led to his ouster, a visibly crestfallen Deshmukh, who lacked his characteristic casualness, said it was an “unfortunate happening”. “It was a mistake, I feel sorry about it,” he said, adding he regretted the incident (attacks) which had led to a loss of life for many people and the feeling that he could not protect them would also lie at the “bottom of his heart”.

Deshmukh, who was accompanied by state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre and working president Jaywantrao Awale, said he “did not think” that NCP president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was responsible in pressurising the Congress to force his resignation.

“The Congress does not work under pressure,” he said, adding the Congress had not forced the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R R Patil.

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