Sharad Pawar says that if Bhujbal is proved innocent then the state government will have to pay heavy price for it.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar attacked the BJP government for misusing power to arrest NCP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Pawar added that NCP will remain unaffected despite the arrest of Bhujbal and the party remains strong in the state.
“If Bhujbal is found guilty in the Maharashtra Sadan scam then he will have to undergo severe punishment for it. On the other hand, if he is proved innocent then the state government will have to pay heavy price for it. By arresting Bhujbal the BJP government is only indulging in politics of vendetta,” said Pawar.
Pawar had said these statements on the occasion of Rayat Educational Institution’s founder Karamveer Bhaurao Patil’s death anniversary.
Two months back, Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the money laundering scam pertaining to the construction of Maharashtra Sadan. Bhujbal who is sporting a beard after being hospitalised has surprised everyone as his photo has gone viral on social networking sites. After Bhujbal’s arrest politicians are shying away from investing in the real estate sector as huge black money is involved in this segment.
Speaking about granting statehood to Vidarbha, Pawar said, “It’s the demand of the local politicians and not of people. I am in favour of a strong and united Maharashtra and oppose the state’s bifurcation.”
Pawar also took a jibe at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by saying that he is only bothered about the drought crisis prevailing in Vidarbha and Marathwada and is overlooking the problems faced by other regions of the state. He said that Fadnavis should concentrate on the overall development of the state instead of focussing on a particular region. Pawar also added that it will be difficult for the BJP to win elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Pondicherry. He praised the work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the development of the state.
The ACB had in June last year registered two FIRs against Bhujbal. The first one was related to alleged irregularities in allotment of a prime plot at Kalina in Mumbai to a developer.
The second case was for alleged rampant corruption and large-scale irregularities in the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan, the state government’s guest house in New Delhi. The Public Works Department under Bhujbal had then allegedly awarded sub-contracts to firms, in blatant violation of rules, in the Maharashtra Sadan case.
