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2 more ministers linked to sugar scam

Ex-legislator says kin of Fauzia Khan and Jayant Patil too bought co-op factories.

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It is not just the associates of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and PWD minister Chaggan Bhujbal who have brought and turned co-operative sugar factories into private firms, the aides of minister of state for school education Fauzia Khan and rural development minister Jayant Patil have also done the same.

A firm owned by the family members of Khan brough a co-operative sugar factory in Parbhani for Rs40.25 crore. According to former legislator  of Latur Manik Jadhav, Tridhara Sugars, which is owned by the family members of Khan, has brought Narsingh Co-operative Sugar Factory at Parbhani. Jadhav also alleged that the sugar factory was worth Rs250 crore, but was brought at Rs40 crore.

Similarly, Jadhav alleged, a private firm owned by the family members of Jayant Patil had brought Gangapur Co-operative Sugar Factory for Rs29.01 crore, when the cost of the factory was around Rs400 crore. “The factory has large land holding adjoining a river and its worth is much more than what it was brought for by Rajaram Foods Private Limited,” Jadhav pointed out.

This is not all, a co-operative sugar factory in the control of the minister also took over another co-operative sugar factory called Raje Vijaysingh Dafle Farmer’s Co-operative Sugar Factory in Sangli for Rs47.80 crore. The actual price of this factory should have been Rs300 crore, he said.

Jadhav further alleged that Rajaram Foods is owned by the brother of Patil and that even the sale of Gangapur Co-operative is now in legal dispute.

Earlier, factory belonging to  Amit Deshmukh had taken over a sugar factory despite the government restraining the sale of co-operative sugar factories to private firms.

Jadhav has been running a campaign against the sale of these factories and profiteering by politicians of the state, along with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and social activist Medha Patkar.

Allegations galore
Social activist Medha Patkar(in pic), who has been part of Jadhav’s campaign against politicians hijacking co-operative sugar factories in the state, had alleged that the scam was worth Rs10,000 crore.

According to Jadhav, politicians cutting across party lines have indulged in the sale and purchase of sugar factories.

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