Maharashtra Deputy CM Alleges Massive Irrigation Scam During BJP-Shiv Sena Rule
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has made explosive allegations regarding a decades-old irrigation project in Maharashtra. He claims the cost was artificially inflated by over Rs 100 crore during the previous BJP-Shiv Sena government's tenure. This money, according to Pawar, was meant to fill party coffers.
Pawar's Specific Accusations from 1999
On Tuesday, Ajit Pawar detailed his allegations concerning the Purandar Lift Irrigation Scheme. He stated that when the project file reached him in 1999, the estimated cost stood at Rs 330 crore.
"I rejected the file outright," Pawar asserted. "A proper evaluation later revealed the actual cost should have been only Rs 220 crore."
He alleged that a staggering Rs 110 crore had been added to the project estimate. This included Rs 100 crore earmarked as "party funds" and an additional Rs 10 crore for the concerned officials. Pawar warned that approving this inflated amount would have created a severe financial crisis for the state. He claims to still possess the original file as evidence.
BJP Leaders Express Shock and Deny Allegations
The Bharatiya Janata Party has reacted with surprise and strong denial. Senior BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule addressed the media on Wednesday, expressing his disappointment.
"We never expected this kind of behavior from Ajit Pawar," Bawankule stated. He questioned the timing of the allegations, coming more than two decades after the alleged incident. "If he had raised concerns when the file first came to him, it would have shown integrity. Making such claims now, after 25 years, is simply not appropriate," he added.
Bawankule, who serves on the Mahayuti alliance's coordination committee, acknowledged Pawar's seniority but stood firm on his criticism of the allegations.
Former Irrigation Minister Eknath Khadse Counters with His Own Questions
Eknath Khadse, who held the Water Resources portfolio in 1999 during the BJP-Shiv Sena government, issued a sharp rebuttal. He suggested Pawar's motives were questionable.
"Ajit Pawar himself faces several corruption allegations related to the irrigation department," Khadse claimed. "This seems like a clear attempt to divert public attention from his own troubles."
Khadse categorically denied any wrongdoing during his tenure. "No such inflation of project costs for party funds ever occurred. Why has he remained silent for a quarter of a century? Did he protect corruption all these years?"
He challenged Pawar to make the file public. "For the sake of the people, I urge him to open that file and reveal the actual facts," Khadse concluded.
Political Context and Timeline
The controversy revolves around the political landscape of Maharashtra in the late 1990s:
- The BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena coalition governed the state from 1995 to 1999.
- The Congress-NCP alliance returned to power in 1999, when the alleged file reached Ajit Pawar.
- Eknath Khadse was the Irrigation Minister during the BJP-Shiv Sena rule.
The allegations have ignited a fresh political firestorm in Maharashtra, with senior leaders trading serious accusations of financial misconduct and corruption from a bygone era.
