In an apparent retaliation to the Devendra Fadnavis administration's recommendation to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao for his prosecution in the Adarsh scam case, former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Friday charged that the ruling BJP was trying to gag senior Congress leaders across the country by pressuring the CBI into framing baseless charges against them.
Addressing a news conference at the Gandhi Bhavan here, Chavan said that with the Congress having brought the "anti-people" policies of the NDA Government into sharp public focus, the ruling BJP had begun to act vindictively against the Congress leaders across the country. “This kind of vindictive acts will not deter us from carrying on with work. We will raise the issues of farmers and common man more forcefully than before.”
Chavan, whose remarks came in the wake of a recommendation made by the Maharashtra Government to the Governor to grant permission to the CBI for prosecuting him the Adarsh housing society scam, said that BJP MP Kirit Somaiya’s allegations against him were part of a part a conspiracy hatched against the Congress leaders.
“Despite of the fact that he is neither a spokesperson for Raj Bhavan or CBI, Somaiya keeps talking about the decisions to be taken by either the Governor or the Central investigating agency. That only goes to prove that it is the BJP that decides as to what action should be taken against the Opposition leaders,” the senior Congress leader said.
Charging that the BJP was misusing the CBI to muzzle the Congress leaders, Chavan said, “On one hand the BJP displays considerable dexterity in acting against the Congress leaders on the basis of baseless charges, while on the other hand it maintains studied silence over the allegations of corruption made against the BJP leaders. So much so that the BJP does not even order an enquiry into the allegations against its leaders,” Chavan said.
Chavan went onto question the failure on the part of the BJP-led saffron alliance Government to act against its leaders facing charges of corruption like the pulse scandal, alleged harassment of women students in the Nagpur medical college, alleged financial irregularities indulged in by its ministers and ministers holding fake degree certificates.
Alluding specially to the State Government’s move to recommend his prosecution in the Adarsh scam case, Chavan said, “My petition seeking the dropping of my name from the list of accused in the Adarsh scam case is pending before the Supreme Court. In response to my petition, the apex court has issued notices to the CBI and Maharashtra Government. Despite the matter being in the apex court, the BJP has pressured the CBI into approaching the Governor for a permission to prosecute me in the Adarsh scam case.”
Following a recommendation from the State Cabinet, the Governor had confabulated with Advocate General of Maharashtra Shrihari Aney on Wednesday on the Chavan issue. The Governor is expected to take a call on it in the coming days.