Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday attacked the BJP, saying that by inducting former Congress leader Ashok Chavan, the ruling party has now also become a party to the multi-crore Adarsh Society scam, reported the PTI news agency.
Earlier, the BJP used to attack Chavan saying that the martyrs’ families were cheated in the Adarsh Society scam, but now the same party is involved in cheating them, he alleged.
Thackeray was addressing a press conference in Nanded, Maharashtra, where he arrived to campaign for Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate Vasant Chavan from the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency.
Ashok Chavan, former chief minister of Maharashtra, is accused in the Adarsh Society scam, in which a posh 31-storey building was built in south Mumbai, allegedly on land owned by the defense ministry, without obtaining permissions and necessary authorizations.
In 2014, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) attempted to remove Chavan’s name from the case, but this was rejected both by the special CBI court and later by the Bombay High Court in 2015. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court, which in 2018 suspended proceedings in the case.
Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in February this year and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha after being fielded by the party. At the time of joining the ruling party, Chavan called the Adarsh case a “political mishap” and said he now considered it “not an issue”.
Thackeray said, “The Adarsh Society scam case is yet to be decided by the court. Now, BJP has inducted Ashok Chavan into the party and made him a Rajya Sabha member. In this way, BJP is also involved in the Adarsh Society scam now,” PTI reported.
“There are videos (of BJP leaders) saying that the Adarsh Society was formed and the martyrs’ families were cheated. But after Chavan joined the BJP, he was also praised on stage,” he said.
Earlier, BJP leaders used to say that the martyrs’ families were cheated in the Adarsh scam, Thackeray said.
“Now my allegation is that the BJP is also involved in misleading the families of the martyrs,” he said, PTI reported.
Thackeray also said that after Chavan quit the Congress, several new faces emerged in the party’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.
“The Congress has received a new boost after the exit of Ashok Chavan. The barriers in the way of new leaders have now disappeared. The ‘subhedari’ in our party have also collapsed,” he said, apparently referring to the Eknath Shinde-led camp.
On the state government’s decision to provide Y-plus security cover to Parth Pawar, son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Sena (UBT) president said, “I have heard that rocket launchers and tanks are also being deployed for security to the people who work in the residences of those who betrayed, but ordinary people are not safe. “The shooting took place in front of actor Salman Khan’s residence.”
“But the people who are with them (those in power) receive security. The question is who pays for their security. They (the government) collect taxes from people who are not safe and provide security to traitors.” Thackeray alleged.
(With input from PTI)