Maintaining that there was a need for introspection, Deshmukh said there was a “lot of scope for improvement” in the security and intelligence systems. “These things will definitely affect the ruling party,” he added.

On questions being raised on Union Defence Minister and state Congress in-charge A K Antony announcing Deshmukh’s resignation as accepted after meeting Pawar on Wednesday, Deshmukh said the Congress president Sonia Gandhi had informed him about the decision even before Antony met Pawar.

Claiming it was a “matter of satisfaction” that he was not being forced out due to any “blots” on his political career like corruption, strictures and unpopularity, he said the decision to resign was a “personal one” and had not been forced by the party.

Asserting that his tenure had seen the state get the highest amount of FDI and SEZs, Deshmukh, however, admitted that they had been unable to make Maharashtra “self-reliant” in the power sector. The party was free to utilise him in any responsibility that they wanted to in the future, he said, evading direct queries to whether he would contest the next Lok Sabha elections.