The Opposition is gunning for State Education Minister Vinod Tawde and his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Dr Charudutt Shinde after DNA's newsbreak on Friday. "Tawde's defence of Shinde in the cash-for-work order is very weak. If he was indeed serious about truth, he would have handed over the probe to the Anti-Corruption Bureau," says Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Nawab Malik.
Malik pointed out that Tawde had limited the scope of probe by initiating a Departmental Enquiry against desk officer Shashikant Salunkhe, who has been suspended for altering the names of contractors in the Government Resolution (GR). In a statement to the principal secretary, Salunkhe had alleged that he had altered the names at the instructions of Tawde's OSD, Dr Shinde. He also claimed Dr Shinde sought money from him for the job, on behalf of the contractors.
Salunkhe's handwritten statement dated June 13, 2017 and submitted to Principal Secretary is quite explosive. In this, Salunkhe has noted down, in detail, when he received calls, and where and whom he gave money. He has also claimed he had emailed the altered list to Dr Shinde and then sent a WhatsApp message to confirm it.
"While issuing the GR, Shinde asked me to add new names. His typist Bagul, too, called me over phone and then met in person with the same instructions — asking me to insert new names in the GR on March 31, 2017. Twenty-six new work orders from nine district were added in the final GR. After making the changes, I also emailed the altered list to the official (Dr Shinde) and even sent message on WhatsAapp. I didn't receive any objections," Salunkhe wrote in his statement.
He further said that 23 days later, when MLAs and ministers started complaining to the department about absence of work in their constituencies, he was questioned about the change in the list.
"I was surprised at these sudden objections. I failed to understand why the blame was being put on me alone. It was not my fault. I was pressurised to do so by a senior official (Shinde). I have been in government service for 22 years, but there hasn't been a single complaint about me so far. For the first time, some one has put blame on me for work that was not done by me. My only mistake is that I made the changes as per the oral order issued by the senior official from the Minority department," he stated in his clarification.
Shinde refused to speak to DNA on the issue. Tawde claimed the inquiry was not complete and Salunkhe had been suspended pending full inquiry.
Malik said Salunkhe was being made a scapegoat. "Salunkhe is clearly a small fish who is being sacrificed to protect the big fish. If the government indeed investigates this thoroughly, many more skeletons will tumble out of closet," he said.
Sequence of events as per Salunkhe's statement:
Work orders issued on January 6 and January 11
Dr Charudutt Shinde calls Shashikant Salunkhe and asks him to pay him Rs one lakh from the contractors
Salunkhe borrows money from some friends (instead of collecting it from the contractors) and says he gave it to Dr Shinde in the basement of the Mantralaya
Salunkhe says he brought this to the notice of the Establishment department
He claims Dr Shinde called him again on March 31 to insert fresh names with the help of his typist, Bagul
Salunkhe claims he received some money from contractors, which he handed over to Bagul at a tea stall near Mantralaya's parking lot
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