More articles by

Niranjan Takle
Niranjan Takle

TRIBAL FUND SCAM

Maharashtra MLA indicted by inquiry panel for corruption

Inquiry committee headed by former Justice M.G.Gaikwad, appointed on the recommendations of Bombay High Court for probing allegations into the alleged scam of siphoning Rs 6000 crore in tribal funds between 2004 and 2012, has indicted BJP MLA Vijaykumar Gavit. 

corruption-reuters Representative image | Reuters

Gavit was a former NCP Minister. Apart from Gavit, the committee has recommended legal and criminal action against 50 retired and serving government officials for 'illegality and dereliction of duty'. A public interest litigation was filed by Motiram Bahiram and Gulab Pawar against Vijaykumar Gavit, Baban Pachpute (his successor), Sharad Gavit (his brother) and Rajendra Gavit (state minister) for allegedly taking bribe but the inquiry committee did not find any evidence against the others. 

The PIL was filed during Congress-NCP government and Vijaykumar Gavit was asked to resign immediately after the allegations were raised. “BJP had made a huge hue and cry about it then and had demanded Gavit's resignation. Later, both Vijay Gavit and Pachpute were inducted in the BJP before assembly elections in 2014,” said Sachin Sawant, Congress spokesperson. Gavit has a strong hold in the tribal district of Nandurbar while Pachpute commands hold in the Maratha dominated Ahmednagar district. BJP inducted both of them in order to strengthen its base in the two districs and both won the assembly elections as BJP candidates. Heena Gavit, daughter of Vijay Gavit was elected to parliament from Nandurbar as BJP candidate.

Sawant said, “Nitin Gadkari had recently said that BJP has power to convert corrupt and criminals into Maharshi Walmiki or a saint. This 'conversion' is not acceptable to the law of the country. Vijay Gavit's indictment is a proof.” He also added that it was the congress government that had set up inquiry against Vijay Gavit and others. 

While admitting both these former NCP ministers into BJP, Devendra Fadanvis, then BJP's state president had said, “We have to make compromises if we want to be in power. We need Bibhishans to defeat and burn Ravan's Lanka.” Now the indictment has embarrassed BJP as the inquiry committee's report is submitted to the Bombay High Court and the court will proceed with the hearings of the PIL. 

Sawant said, “Now we want BJP to ask him to resign. BJP's act of laying red carpets for the corrupts and defending them with impunity has got exposed.”

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Topics : #Maharashtra

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