Maharashtra polls: RR Patil backstabbed me by ordering open inquiry in purported irrigation scam, says Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar. File Pic/X

During a Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 rally, Ajit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that he was "backstabbed" by his close colleague and then home minister RR Patil who ordered an open inquiry against him in the alleged multi-crore irrigation scam, reported the PTI.

Ajit Pawar claimed a file mentioning RR Patil's remarks ordering an inquiry was shown to him by BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis after he became chief minister in 2014.

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Ajit Pawar made these claims while addressing a rally for the Nationalist Congress Party candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil who is in the fray against the late Patil's son Rohit from Tasgaon in Sangli district.

"Allegations were levelled against me in an irrigation scam. Attempts were made to defame me. It was decided to level an allegation of Rs 70,000 crore scam in an irrigation project. The total expenditure of salaries was Rs 42,000 crore in the project and allegation was made about irregularities of Rs 70,000 crore," Ajit Pawar claimed, according to the PTI.

The actual expenditure for the project amounted to Rs 43,000 crore but a case was made to show that there was a scam of Rs 70,000 crore, Ajit Pawar said.

Ajit Pawar was Water Resources Development Minister during 1999-2009 when the Congress-NCP combine was in power in Maharashtra. He had also served as chairman of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, which had cleared irrigation projects in which alleged irregularities were alleged.

"A file was prepared and forwarded to the home department (headed by R R Patil). He approved an open inquiry against me and mentioned it in the file note. This was a pure case of back-stabbing. I became very upset as he (Patil) was a close colleague," he claimed, the news agency reported on Tuesday.

The Nationalist Congress Party (undivided) subsequently withdrew the support to the Prithviraj Chavan-led government and the President's rule was imposed, he said.

"The then governor refused to sign on the file (for open inquiry) and stated that let the new CM sign it," he claimed.

Notably, Sharad Pawar-led NCP withdrew the support to then Prithviraj Chavan-led government in September 2014 following the announcement of breaking of ties with Congress, just days ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024.

"When the Devendra Fadanvis-led government came to power, he signed the file and later called me. He said that the file was awaiting the CM's signature. He told me that it was RR Patil who opened the inquiry and showed me his signature on the file. I was very upset as he (Patil) was a close colleague," Ajit Pawar claimed, reported the PTI.

Notably, Maharashtra's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) gave a clean chit to Ajit Pawar in the multi-crore Vidarbha irrigation scam after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress was sworn in the state on November 28, 2019.

Late RR Patil had served as the state home minister for a considerable time during the tenure of the Congress-NCP governments from 2004 to 2014.

(with PTI inputs)