After the 2G scam verdict, BJP has suffered yet another massive jolt as the Bombay High Court has dismissed Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao’s sanction granted to the CBI in 2016 to prosecute senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Housing scam case. Thus, Congress claimed a moral victory over BJP which has always levelled corruption allegations against the former. Questions are being raised against BJP which has often claimed to be a party which has adopted zero tolerance policy against corruption. Is the outfit only raising the corruption issue against opposition to gain an upper hand over them? Often BJP has made allegations against Congress without providing evidence against them. This verdict will definitely boost the morale of the Congress which had lost its foothold in the state after BJP’s victory in Lok Sabha and assembly polls.
Chavan launched a scathing attack against the BJP and said that it had used the Adarsh scam issue to malign the image of Congress. He added that BJP has no moral authority to talk about Congress. Chavan hailed the court’s verdict and said that he has full faith in the judiciary. The former Maharashtra CM has been accused of criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct for granting additional floor space index (FSI) to Adarsh housing society in lieu of flats for relatives. In April 2016, the then Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao gave his nod to prosecute Chavan for cheating and criminal conspiracy in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.
Shaina NC, BJP spokesperson said, “The 2G scam is not about how a minister has indulged in corruption, but it exposes the entire system and how the exchequer had incurred losses due to the scandal. Subramaniam Swamy had stated that this is not the end and just a beginning. The Adarsh Society was meant for housing Kargil war widows but it was allocated to politicians and bureaucrats. The CBI and Enforcement Directorate were allowed to discharge their duties without political interference. Even though Ashok Chavan has been given a clean chit by the Bombay High Court but the case is not closed yet and appeals can be filed in Supreme Court.”
Nawab Malik, NCP spokesperson said, “The BJP was indulging in politics of vendetta and using government machinery to make baseless allegation against Congress. They have been exposed. BJP had derived political mileage out of it. People have lost faith in them and truth has been unveiled.”
Hemant Godse, Shiv Sena MP said, “Since CBI could not gather evidence against Chavan, court set aside the sanction granted to the investigation agency to prosecute him. People must support the court verdict.”
Ashok Jadhav, Congress MLA said, “BJP has been making false allegations against Congress. Ashok Chavan’s name was dragged into the Adarsh Housing Scam but the flat was allotted to his relatives. Even though BJP came to power by making allegations against Congress but they have misled people.”
