Finding an opening in the matter of alleged transfer of slum dwellers' building rights to a major builder in Mumbai, the Congress is hoping to corner the BJP- Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra on the issue of corruption.
Raising the issue from the AICC podium in Delhi on Monday, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the alleged scam involves a serious case of corruption in which illegal benefit to the tune of Rs 500- Rs 800 crore was given to a builder in wilful violation of rules.
"Prakash Mehta, who is the minister of housing in Maharashtra, illegally approved transfer of slum dwellers' building rights to a major builder in a slum development project in Tardeo in south Mumbai," Chavan alleged.
The former chief minister of Maharashtra further said that while sanctioning the proposal, Mehta used the name of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and overruled specific objections by his Secretary. The decision, he said, would have generated a windfall of around Rs 500- Rs 800 crore to the builder. The issue has rocked the state assembly. The chief minister on his part has ordered an enquiry against the minister.
Chavan, in an apparent effort to link the issue to the top leadership of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asked what was stopping the chief minister from sacking the minister, a prominent member of the Gujarati community in Mumbai.
"Is the chief minister protecting the minister with special blessings of the BJP high command?" the Congress leader asked, and said the prime minister should make good his election promise to end corruption.
The Congress has demanded that Mehta be dropped from the cabinet, a judicial enquiry be conducted, all 137 files cleared by the CEO of the Slum Redevelopment Authority be reviewed and all the current projects of the builder in question be investigated.
According to a senior Congress leader, the party is planning to raise the issue in Parliament. He said the only way the Congress could counter the BJP was by raising the issue of corruption. "This is a golden opportunity for us," he said.
