Mumbai: Social activist Anna Hazare today alleged a nexus among some Maharashtra politicians in selling sugar factories to private players by deliberately declaring them "sick".
Hazare, who led a farmers rally here, along with activist Medha Patkar and Lok Sabha member Raju Shetty, sought a judicial inquiry into these transactions.
"Many sugar mills and cotton mills have been declared sick and sold off to private players at throwaway price," Hazare said.
The rally leaders later met Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. "The chief minister assured us of an inquiry by senior officials. However, we pointed out whether an officer would be able to probe a corrupt minister," Shetty said.
"These factories were deliberately declared sick and sold to private players. We demand that a judicial committee be appointed to probe into the selling and purchasing of the 40 such factories," Hazare said.
Inspite of a Government Order restraining selling of sugar factories in red to private firms, a sugar factory was sold to a politician recently, he said.
"The state government wants to bring the curtain down on cooperative sector in the state. Though 35 sugar factories were allocated to run on the lease in last eight years, none of them registered profit," Hazare said.
Patkar alleged the valuation of 40 sugar factories that have been sold runs into Rs 10,000 crore.
