Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar launched a sharp attack on the Maharashtra government on Thursday, alleging a clear bias in the investigation of the controversial Pune land deal. He claimed that while the 'seller' has been arrested, no action has been taken against Parth Pawar, the son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds a majority stake in the firm that purchased the land.
Selective Action and Allegations of Bias
Addressing the media in Nagpur, Wadettiwar pointed out the glaring omission in the probe. Sheetal Tejwani, the seller involved in the transaction, has been arrested. However, Parth Pawar, who holds a 99% stake in Amedia Enterprises LLP—the entity that bought the disputed land—faces no investigation. This, according to the Congress leader, exposes the chief minister's partiality towards residents of Baramati, the political stronghold of the Pawar family.
"The omission shows the chief minister's bias in favour of Baramati residents," Wadettiwar stated bluntly. He accused the state government of orchestrating a selective inquiry to divert public attention ahead of the crucial winter session of the legislature in Nagpur.
Extended Probe and Election Concerns
Wadettiwar also criticised the extension granted to the inquiry committee investigating the deal. He argued that without any interim findings, the government would be left embarrassed during the legislative session. "Action must be taken against Parth Pawar," he demanded. "The government is pretending to act only because it knows the opposition will raise this issue. The inquiry committee was given an extension for the same reason—its report would have embarrassed the government."
The Congress leader further shifted focus to the recently concluded local self-government elections, raising serious concerns about the electoral process. He cited numerous complaints of violence and alleged that despite evidence from ruling party MLAs about widespread cash distribution, no concrete action followed.
Questions on Electoral Integrity
Wadettiwar highlighted specific lapses that, according to him, created conditions for possible tampering. He noted that live CCTV footage from electronic voting machine (EVM) storage centres was not made available to stakeholders, and signal jammers were not installed outside polling stations. These failures, he argued, compromised the integrity of the process.
He directly questioned the BJP's confident claim of winning 175 out of 268 seats, asking if those projections were based on manipulated EVMs. This adds a significant layer of controversy to the already disputed election results.
Shortened Session and Unmet Demands
On the upcoming winter session in Nagpur, Wadettiwar expressed disappointment. He revealed that the session, initially expected to last three weeks, will now be restricted to just seven days. He attributed this curtailment to the enforcement of the election code of conduct and a depleted state treasury.
This shortened schedule, he warned, will have direct consequences for the people of Vidarbha. Many of the region's key demands and pending issues are likely to remain unaddressed due to the lack of sufficient time for legislative discussion and resolution.
The allegations by the senior Congress leader set the stage for a confrontational winter session, with the opposition poised to corner the government on issues of alleged corruption, bias in probes, and electoral malpractice.
