Sharad Pawar: Adarsh housing scam's mention in Parliament white paper prompted Ashok Chavan's exit from Congress

Sharad Pawar/ File Pic

NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar suggested on Wednesday that mention of Adarsh Housing Scam in a white paper tabled in Parliament might have influenced Ashok Chavan's decision to quit Congress and join BJP. However, Chavan denied the claims.

According to a report in PTI, Chavan, who recently joined the BJP after quitting the Congress, is one of the accused in the Adarsh housing society scam, involving the construction of a 31-storey building in south Mumbai allegedly on land owned by the Defence Ministry without necessary permissions. The scandal led to Chavan's resignation as Maharashtra's chief minister in 2010.

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Pawar told reporters in Kolhapur that the mention of the Adarsh Society and Chavan in the BJP's white paper may have been viewed as a threat, prompting Chavan to switch parties. He emphasised that, while the development was unexpected, he was not surprised, reported PTI.

"The reason is that the BJP had tabled a white paper on their last 10 years of performance and their opinions about the opposition. In that white paper, there was a mention of the Adarsh Society and Ashok Chavan. After that mention, we assumed that it could be one kind of a threat, and (Chavan's exit) was a result of that threat," the former union minister was quoted as saying.

"We both, Congress and NCP, work together. We, Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray, and Congress are not separate now. Most of the time, we sit together and discuss, but it does not mean that there is a need for a merger," Pawar said addressing issues about his faction's merger with grand-old party Congress.

Reportedly, Pawar also commented on the recent Chandigarh mayoral election, citing it as an example of power abuse. The Supreme Court overturned the result and declared the defeated AAP-Congress alliance candidate as the new city mayor due to deliberate tampering of ballot papers by a BJP-affiliated returning officer. "The Chandigarh mayoral election, in which eight votes were earlier declared as invalid, is a fine example of misuse of power. It shows that those in power are trying to sideline the opposition by hook or crook," Pawar claimed.

Per the report, Pawar argued that the BJP's lofty election projections and the poaching of leaders from other parties demonstrate a lack of confidence in obtaining the anticipated seats. He alleged that agencies such as the ED and CBI were being used to destabilise states and draw opposition leaders away.

He also addressed allegations of disparities in the Election Commission of India's rulings and was quoted as saying in PTI, "We have already sent a letter regarding our apprehensions to the Election Commission of India. The letter suggests some reforms in the current functioning of the poll body and an appointment from the ECI has been sought. I, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, D Raja of CPI, leaders from the TMC and SP are among the signatories of that letter."

Meanwhile, responding to a query on ECI's move to award party name and symbol to Ajit Pawar faction, he said, "Two days back, the Supreme Court observed that we have the right to run our party and ordered the ECI to give us a symbol within seven days. The Supreme Court passed strictures on the Election Commission. Fortunately, the country's judicial system is still in place where we can approach."

Responding to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about Sonia Gandhi's aim to make Rahul Gandhi the prime minister, Pawar remarked that many leaders in politics have family members involved in the field.