Twitter
Advertisement

‘Judicial probe’ to pour water over irrigation scam

The state government is considering ordering a judicial probe into the Rs70,000 crore irrigation scam to underline its seriousness on the matter and silence the opposition parties that are threatening to stall the winter session of the state legislature.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The state government is considering ordering a judicial probe into the Rs70,000 crore irrigation scam to underline its seriousness on the matter and silence the opposition parties that are threatening to stall the winter session of the state legislature which begins on December 11.

According to sources in the government, “Almost half a dozen Congress cabinet ministers have given their consent to the chief minister to order a judicial probe into the multi-crore irrigation scam.”

The fortnight-long winter session to be held in Nagpur is expected to be a stormy affair, as both the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party have announced that they will take the government to task over the white paper on irrigation.

Sensing the differences between the Shiv Sena and the BJP on the nature of the probe into the matter, Congress political managers in the government believe that they could score a point if the chief minister orders a judicial probe.

The problem, however, is that the Nationalist Congress Party is not keen on a judicial probe as it fears that any prolonged investigation could land its leader and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and the water resources minister Sunil Tatkare in trouble. The NCP wants the government to work out a strategy to deflect attention from the issue.

Minister for parliamentary affairs Harshvardhan Patil has a difficult task on his hands, as the voices of protest over the irrigation scam are not confined to the opposition benches alone. A sizeable number of Congress ministers and legislators are seeking an explanation from the government on the financial mismanagement in the irrigation sector.

As individual legislators look ahead to the 2014 state elections, they are interested in getting convincing answers on the corruption in irrigation that they can give to the electorate in their constituencies.  The BJP has adopted an aggressive posture following the white paper, threatening to expose the administration and the politicians involved.

Eknath Khadse, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, said, “The white paper without an action taken report would be meaningless. You cannot allow public money to be poured down the drain without holding anybody responsible and punishing them.” The BJP is targeting Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare.

“Ajit Pawar held charge of the ministry for ten years. He owes an explanation as he signed the files to clear the projects. The role of Tatkare comes in projects related to the Konkan where there has been huge financial bungling,”  said Vinod Tawde, leader of the opposition in the state legislative council.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement