Pest control has become the latest issue confronting the government of Devendra Fadnavis. However, it is not an invasion of pests worrying the government but controversy over a contract awarded for pest control.
On Thursday, former minister and BJP MLA Eknath Khadse demanded an inquiry into a contract given to a pest control company to eliminate rodents in the state Secretariat. A survey had found that there were nearly 3,19,400 rats in the complex and a company was awarded a contract to complete pest control in six months.
The company claimed to have killed all the rats in just seven days. Khadse alleged that the company's claims—which effectively meant that nearly 32 rats were culled every minute—merited suspicion. He asked how the company could finish the task in one week, when the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation took two years to kill around 6 lakh rats in Mumbai.
Khadse joked that the government could have employed 10 cats for the same task, evoking laughter in the Assembly!
Khadse, a senior BJP leader in the state, has been upset ever since he was forced to resign as revenue minister over bribery allegations in 2016. Khadse has not been reinstated to the cabinet even though the charges against him have not be proven yet.
In January, Khadse claimed he would remain in the BJP even though he warned his patience had limits. Congress leader Ashok Chavan had invited Khadse to join the opposition party.
(With agency inputs)