No clean chit to former Maha CMs in Adarsh: opposition

Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, Eknath Khadse (BJP), today said that Adarsh Commission's report had not given a clean chit to the former Chief Ministers in the scam, and the ownership of the land was never an issue.

Initiating a debate on the opposition-sponsored last week motion, Khadse said the land belonged to the state's revenue department. "The application for land for the Adarsh Society went to the revenue department and not the Defence Ministry," he said.

The judicial commission was yet to give finding on Coastal Regulation Zone violations, grant of additional FSI by reducing the width of the adjoining road, and the `benami' flats in the building, he said. Decisions taken by former Chief Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan in Adarsh case are under scrutiny.

But Commission has held in interim report that the land did not belong to Defence, as alleged. Khadse also accused the government of shielding Congress leader Kripashankar Singh in the disproportionate assets case.

"FIR has been filed against him. but, the government does not have the guts to arrest him. Who in the government is protecting the Congress leader?" Khadse asked. "The state has crossed all limits in terms of corruption. The problem has reached the level of ministers and the Chief Ministers. Ashok Chavan had to resign." Referring to the court's directive to file FIR against directors of the dissolved Maharashtra State co-operative Bank, Khadse wondered if the Chief Minister would implement the orders.

"I am sure you will not act against the directors because they sit next to you. The government will fall (in that case)," he said, referring to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The BJP leader also alleged that there were 11 cases in Pune where government land was illegally sold to private parties, causing loss to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore.

Khadse said he had submitted to the authorities 21 illegal land transfer cases, including Panchsheel Tech Park in which Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and her husband Sadanand Sule were once members. Earlier, Industries Minister Narayan Rane objected to inclusion of the debate in the day's agenda, saying that all the cases mentioned in the motion were sub-judice.

However, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said it was the right and privilege of the house to discuss and deliberate any issue including the sub-judice ones. "The members have to only keep in mind that they do not speak on the court's decisions and cast aspersions of the court," he said.

Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) demanded that land given to Rane's Sindhudurg Shikshan Prasarak Mandal in suburban Mumbai be taken back, as it was not being used for educational purposes. Congress, NCP members took objection, saying that Desai was speaking on an issue which was sub judice. The house had to be adjourned for 15 minutes, as Congress-NCP repeatedly interrupted the Sena.