The demand was made at a hurriedly called press conference held at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh. Scam whistle-blower and AAP member Vijay Pandhar, AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon and other members chaired the conference.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under a sitting or retired judge to probe the irrigation scam. The party posed 24 questions to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and claimed the state's attempt to shield the accused was clear.
The demand was made at a hurriedly called press conference held at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh. Scam whistle-blower and AAP member Vijay Pandhar, AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon and other members chaired the conference.
"The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has not been doing anything for the last two years. With the kind of documents and proofs that are available, all the accused should have been arrested within three days. We demand an SIT comprising senior IAS and IPS officers, besides activists," said Pandhare.
The party put forth 24 questions before the CM, and members alleged that his intent to prosecute the Pawars along with prime minister Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley was questionable, as they all hobnobbed and dined with them. Among the 24 questions put up were fruitless expenses on irrigation, cost escalation without the nod of finance department, wastage of money in certain projects, and little area covered under irrigation.
"That Ajit Pawar is dropped in the ACB chief's car speaks a lot about the investigation," said Pandhare. Menon said, "Their intent came to light when, in hearing after hearing, the court gave bail to the irrigation scam accused, who were arrested in December."
She added, "Bhujbal's arrest took place because it was a court-monitored probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ACB under the CM is not doing anything. They are all hand-in-gloves. Pawar saying that BJP is targeting Bhujbal is false because they are not doing anything." dna tried contacting CM Fadnavis but could not get through to him.
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