Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday dismissed all the charges of corruption that the Opposition has levelled against his ministers.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday dismissed all the charges of corruption that the Opposition has levelled against his ministers. In a point-by-point rebuttal of the charges, the CM said that the Opposition was making baseless allegations only to serve their own political purposes.
During his hour-long reply over a debate raised by the Opposition on corrupt ministers in his Cabinet, the CM said that the Opposition is only interested in politicising issues. However, the Opposition accused him of avoiding further debate to shield the ministers in question.
“After the numerous scams in the past 15 years of the UPA rule, we are here to build a new image of Maharashtra as a corruption-free state. The Opposition is scared of this and hence they are levelling baseless allegations against our ministers,” Mr Fadnavis said while concluding the debate over the issue. He also appealed to the Opposition to join hands with the government in its efforts to rid the state of corruption.
Mr Fadnavis added: “When we took over, it appeared as if the contractors were running the entire show in several departments. To do away with their hegemony, we brought in e-tendering processes.” He added that the charges levelled by the leader of the Opposition, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, against tribal welfare minister Vishnu Savara give an impression that the e-tendering process in that department does not exist at all. “But that is not the case,” Mr Fadnavis said, and read out a long list several items needed for the residential schools for tribal students, which he said were procured through the e-tendering system this year.
Mr Fadnavis also brushed aside charges against EGS minister Jaykumar Rawal as being politically motivated. He also defended Pankaja Munde and Eknath Khadse, as well as Shiv Sena ministers Ravindra Waikar and Diwakar Raote, citing relevant documents and stating that they are not involved in corruption.
“The Opposition targeted Mr Raote over the Trimax deal. But it was finalised by the UPA government,” he said.
After the CM’s reply, the chair denied the right to reply to NCP leader Jayant Patil since Mr Vikhe-Patil had moved the motion, and he was absent from the House due to his father’s ill health. The enraged Opposition then started protesting, leading the panel speaker to adjourn the House.
