Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has accepted the proposal of the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to conduct an "open inquiry" against former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare in the multi-crore irrigation scam, state's Advocate General told the Bombay High Court on Friday.
The Fadnavis government has also accepted the proposal to probe former PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal for his role in alleged irregularities in construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and two buildings in Mumbai.
The decision to allow inquiries against former ministers from the Sharad Pawar-led party was made easy for Fadnavis after Shiv Sena joined the BJP government and the latter no longer required NCP's “outside support” to run the government.
The proposal to conduct inquiry was wade by ACB when the state was under President's rule prior to October Assembly Elections. The files were later transferred to the CM's office.
The Home department has already given its nod for the inquiry.
Ajit Pawar and Tatkare were in charge of water resources department at different times during the Congress-NCP regime.
BJP, then in the opposition, had alleged irregularities in the irrigation projects and a Rs 70,000 crore scam.
Reacting to the development, NCP leader Shashikant Shinde said his party has no issues with the inquiry.
“We don’t have any problem, the truth will come out in the inquiry,” Shinde said.
