Maharashtra Government Has Failed To Curb Corruption

The current government in Maharashtra, led by Devendra Fadnavis, has definitely set a record of sorts. No other government in the state has had as many ministers with various charges against them, from moral turpitude to financial mismanagement.

The most serious scandal in the state in recent times involves the Rs 14,000 crore tender allotted to Megha Engineering, after disqualifying L&T, whose bid was Rs 3,100 crore cheaper. The tender was divided into two parts, one for the elevated road (Thane-Ghodbunder to Bhayander), with a value of Rs 6,000 crore, where L&T’s bid was technically disqualified. The other was for a road tunnel (Gaimukh to Fountain Hotel Junction) worth Rs 8,000 crore, which was allotted to Megha Engineering, despite a higher bid by it.

On a petition filed before it by L&T, challenging its disqualification, the Supreme Court questioned the misuse of public money and questioned the government for selecting a higher bidder.

L&T has an excellent track record of work in the country, including for the Union and state governments. The Supreme Court noted L&T’s credentials, including its work on Delhi’s Central Vista, and expressed disbelief at its disqualification.

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, who was heading the bench hearing the petition, warned that the court would stay the entire process if transparency was not maintained. Reacting to the court’s observation, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) scrapped the Rs 14,000 crore tender. The MMRDA is under the Urban Development Ministry, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Though scrapped, the entire process of allocation of the tender stinks of corruption.

Sanjay Shirsat, Social Justice Minister, belonging to the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), hit the news headlines when a video, allegedly, showing him smoking near large bags of cash in his bedroom went viral. Even before the video went into the public domain, there were reports that his son is said to have purchased a Rs 110 crore luxury hotel for just Rs 67 crore in Sambhaji Nagar. The opposition has claimed that the tender process for the sale of the hotel was rigged to favour Shirsat’s son Siddhant. Fadnavis has ordered a probe into the matter, but going by the track record of the government, the probe will take time.

Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam came under fire in the Legislative Council when Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) legislator Anil Parab stated in the House that a bar owned by Kadam’s mother was raided and it was found to be operating as a dance bar, which is banned in the state. Parab presented proof to prove his point and sought Kadam’s resignation.

Questions have been raised over the functioning of Sanjay Rathod, Soil and Water Conservation Minister, as regards the department transfers.

School Education Minister Dada Bhuse is being questioned by the opposition over alleged irregularities in recruitment processes of teachers.

Kadam, Rathod, and Bhuse belong to the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.

In another case, Manikrao Kokate, Agriculture Minister and a legislator belonging to the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), was caught on camera playing online rummy during the Assembly session. Demands for his resignation have been futile.

There are reports of a massive honey trap, with over 70 top officials of the Maharashtra government and some ministers caught in it. The honey trap was allegedly used to get favourable orders or decisions, and Praful Lodha has been arrested on charges of being the mastermind of the honey trap. Lodha is being linked to Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan. Mahajan is also Fadnavis’s troubleshooter and hence his most trusted and reliable legislator and colleague in the BJP.

A Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member has alleged that many of those who rebelled against Udhav Thackeray and walked away with Eknath Shinde are, allegedly, victims of the honey trap and were blackmailed into quitting the undivided Shiv Sena to help topple the government led by Udhav Thackeray.

There have been many cases of crimes against women in the state in recent times, and questions have been raised about the safety of women.

There was a time when the likes of Kirit Somaiya or Chitra Wagh, both of the BJP, would protest, scream, and howl over even minor allegations against those associated with the Congress or the NCP when the two parties were in power.

The BJP’s silence on heinous crimes against women is not just deafening; it is deliberate. A party that once weaponised outrage to vilify political opponents is now strategically muted. Today, Somaiya and Wagh, along with some of their party colleagues, seem to have lost their voices. With their silence they have proved that issues of ethics and morality do not apply to their party members. Had these ministers belonged to either the Congress or the Sharad Pawar-led NCP or the Shiv Sena (UBT), there would have been a clamour for their resignations with protests all over the state.

The current opposition parties in the state, too, do not seem to be serious about demanding action against these ministers. They have mostly stuck to half-hearted protests. They seem more interested in imposing Marathi on non-Marathi-speaking people rather than questioning the government over corruption charges.

In the past, people like Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Ajit Pawar have stepped down after allegations were made against them; this was the time when they were not with the BJP. Fadnavis has failed miserably in taking appropriate action against these elements in his government.

The author is a senior journalist and media trainer. He tweets at @a_mokashi