Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday issued a defamation notice to Congress leader Manikrao Thakre for making allegations of nepotism after the state government asked beneficiaries of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme to open bank accounts only in Axis Bank. Mr Fadnavis’ wife is a senior employee of the Axis Bank. The CM has demanded an unconditional apology in 15 days or else threatened criminal proceedings against the Congress leader.
Manikrao Thakre had said last week at Nagpur that the SRA, headed by chief minister, was giving business to the bank, as the CM’s wife was associated with it. “The chief minister has flouted prescribed norms by choosing Axis Bank, a private lender, and not a scheduled or a nationalised bank for the government scheme. This is a clear case of nepotism and corruption,” he had said. All the SRA account holders, right from Thane to Mumbai, have been asked to operate from the Worli branch of Axis bank. Amruta Fadnavis works as a deputy vice-president (Transactional Banking) of Axis Bank and is positioned as its central officer in Worli in south Mumbai.
In the notice moved to Mr Thakre, the CM has said that he and his wife has had no role to play in the decision of the SRA. The notice reads by advocate Soni reads, “I am instructed to call upon you to make amends and to retract the allegations made by you by tendering an unconditional apology within 15 days from the issuance of the instant notice, failing which my client Devendra Fadnavis shall have no option but to initiate appropriate civil and / or criminal proceedings against you.”
Reacting on the notice, Mr Thakre said, “I have not seen the notice yet. I have come to know about this through the media. Let me read the notice and then react. We will reply to it as everything is in the open and there is nothing to hide,” he said.
