My father's not here to defend himself, Riteish tells Piyush Goyal after 26/11 comment

Mumbai: His father never spoke to anybody to get him a role, says actor Riteish Deshmukh, denying Union minister Piyush Goyal’s suggestion that the late Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was “concerned” about getting his son a job during the 26/11 terror attack.

Goyal was recently quoted as saying that the then chief minister took a film producer to the Oberoi Hotel when the terror attack was still going on and was “concerned about getting his child a film role”.

In a politely worded statement posted on Twitter on Monday, Riteish said it was true he visited the Taj and Oberoi Hotels but he was not there when the “shooting and bombing” was happening.

“It is true that I had accompanied my father but untrue that he was trying to get me a role in a film. He never ever spoke to a director or a producer to cast me in film and I take pride in that.

“You have every right to question a CM but it is wrong to accuse someone who is not here to defend himself. A bit late, 7 years ago – He would have replied to you,” the actor said.

Vilasrao Deshmukh, who died in 2012, had to resign as chief minister following the terror siege. There were also reports that filmmaker Ramgopal Varma and Riteish accompanied him to the hotels.

He later admitted that taking them with him to visit the scene of terror attack was a mistake.

Goyal referenced the 26/11 incident during an event on Sunday.

“I am from Mumbai. You might remember the 26/11 terror attack. The then Congress government was weak and could not do anything. The then chief minister (Vilasrao Deshmukh) had brought a film producer outside Oberoi Hotel while shooting and bombing was going on inside. CM was concerned about getting his child a film role,” he was quoted as saying.