Adarsh Society scam: Nitin Gadkari demands dismissal of Maharashtra Government

NEW DELHI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nitin Gadkari on Monday demanded the dismissal of the Maharashtra Government for its alleged involvement in the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

“There seems to be a ‘Constitutional breakdown’ in the State as possible replacements for Ashok Chavan also face corruption charges. The millstone of corruption that Maharashtra Government has established has tarnished the name of Maharashtra throughout the country,” said Gadkari.

“In the last few days Maharashtra Government has broken all records of corruption. And due to this, governance of Maharashtra has been affected. In the Chief Minister’s office, his PA, PS, and his close associates have been given flats. Relatives have also been given flats,” he added, while addressing the media persons here today.

The BJP President insisted that such a Government has no right to continue in office and should be dismissed straight away.

Further commenting on the Congress party, Gadkari said it was caught in a dilemma about removing Chavan from the Chief Minister’s post, as it could not find a party leader with a clean image to replace

“Looking at this situation, if the Congress removes him (Chavan) on charges of corruption, then those who can be brought in his place also have charges of corruption. And so they are not able to find an alternative. This is like a constitutional breakdown,” said Gadkari.

“Hence such a government has no right to continue in office. This is not good for the country and for democracy,” he added.

Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier today held consultations with senior party leaders in New Delhi on the fate of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan over the scam.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony and senior party leader Ahmed Patel met Gandhi and are understood to have discussed the matter.

A decision by the Congress party on Chavan’s fate is expected to take some more time.

“In today’s meeting, we did not discuss any matter related to the current issues of Mumbai. The meeting we had with the Congress President was in connection to tomorrow’s AICC,” said Pranab Mukherjee.

“In respect to the Maharashtra issues, yesterday night itself I told the waiting media that we require some time to study the documents and only then will we be in a position to report to the Congress President,” he added.

Even as the next 72 hours prove to be crucial for Chavan, who made his way back to Mumbai early today, the suspense over the fate of Chavan continues.

Mukherjee, heading the two-member committee, met Antony last night shortly after arrival from Kolkata and said that he would require some more time to go through the documents and prepare a report for Sonia Gandhi.

On Saturday, the Congress President set up the two-member panel to probe how the 31-storeyed plush Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society came up on a piece of land meant for the families of Kargil martyrs and the allotment of flats to politicians, bureaucrats and military officials.

The 31-storey Adarsh Society in Colaba, Mumbai, has become the catchment area for a massive political controversy.

Former Army Chiefs, politicians and bureaucrats have all been allotted flats here for a fraction of the market rate.

The CBI is now investigating the scam. (ANI)