After Chhagan Bhujbal, two other Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders are likely to face the music.
After Chhagan Bhujbal, two other Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders are likely to face the music.
Former Union minister Tariq Anwar and former minister from Maharashtra Rajendra Shingane who are facing allegations in Waqf land scam could face CBI inquiry. Minister for Waqf Eknath Khadse said action would be taken against these leaders if found guilty in Waqf land scam.
Minister of state for Waqf Dilip Kamble told the Assembly on Wednesday that the probe will be handed over to CBI.
Mr Khadse said that the state government had received the A.T.A.K. Shaikh committee report and its action taken report (ATR) over the Waqf land scam. “The committee report has mentioned the name of Anwar and Shingane and if they are found guilty, we will take action against these leaders,” said Mr Khadse.
MIM legislator Imtiaz Jaleel raised the issue of Waqf properties and other issues related to minorities in the Assembly.
Mr Khadse announced that the property of Waqf Board would not be allowed to be transferred to a person or institute or organisation in the future.
MoS Dilip Kamble assured the House that the government would thoroughly probe the alleged scam. “If needed, we will scan all the decisions taken during the last 15 years and the probe will be handed over to the CBI,” said Mr Kamble.
In the beginning, Mr Jaleel had read out the speech of the then BJP MLAs Devendra Fadnavis and Mr Khadse who on August 2, 2013 raised the issue of Wakf land grab by ministers and MLAs from the Congress and the NCP. They both had demanded a CBI probe into the multi-crore scam.
Mr Jaleel also read out to the House the statement of the then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who had promised a CBI inquiry into the shady land deals.
Mr Jaleel came down heavily on the Congress and NCP MLAs. “Let there be a CBI inquiry and the truth will come out. The people will then know how sincere and clean your government was regarding Wakf properties, he told Congress and NCP MLAs.
He also criticised the then Wakf minister Arif Naseem Khan, who had demanded a budget of Rs 1,000 crore for minorities.
He asked, “Why had your government not taken the decision to increase the budget for minorities and with what face are you asking this government to sanction Rs 1,000 crore when in fact your government had not sanctioned even Rs 500 crores while in power for 15 years ” He demanded setting up of a directorate of minority welfare on the lines of the directorate of social welfare to bring all minority schemes and funds under one umbrella.
