Maharashtra Assembly Election 2019: Pawar says BJP tried implicating him in MSC Bank scam, got scared

india

Updated: Oct 10, 2019 21:47 IST

The Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar called for a change in government in Maharashtra during an election rally in Nagpur and claimed he was victimized by a “vindictive” government that had failed in combating crime and farmers’ suicide and was instead talking about repealing Article 370.

“Throw out this vindictive government which misuses power. Do what you must for bringing about a change,” he said urging people to vote for a change.

Addressing an election rally at Butibori in Hingna constituency, 25 km from Nagpur, Pawar said if a senior political leader like him was not safe, there was no way a common man could live without fear in the state.

“I was never a director or even a member of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSC), yet the BJP government tried to implicate me in a fabricated case involving alleged irregularities in the bank,” he said.

The ED had registered a money laundering case against Pawar and others in connection with the alleged Rs 25,000-crore MSC Bank scam.

“When I came to know about it, I told them there was no need to come looking for me. I offered to visit the ED office in Mumbai on September 27. But the government got scared and the police authorities and ED pleaded with me not to visit ED office. I relented, in view of the law and order situation,” Pawar said referring to the legal summon issued to him by ED in the case.

The ED case pertains to loans provided by the MSC Bank - the apex body for all district central cooperative (DCC) banks in the state - to co-operative sugar factories, spinning mills and other processing units. It is alleged that these loans were given without considering the financial conditions of the cooperative units.

Slamming the Fadnavis government, Pawar said it was a disgrace that Nagpur city had turned into the “crime capital” of the state.

“The chief minister who is from the city and also handled Home portfolio had no control over the situation,” he said.

He also attacked Fadnavis government over farmers suicide cases and alleged joblessness in the state.

“As many as 16000 farmers had committed suicide unable to bear losses in agriculture, youth are jobless but the government has nothing to say on that. Instead the government talks of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Pawar, however, didn’t criticise the government for repealing the article.

“Repealing the special status of J&K is welcome if people from other states can go and settle there. But what about Article 371 that is still applicable and gives special status to states in North East. Why is government afraid of touching that?” Pawar asked.

Ridiculing Narendra Modi government for taking political credit for Balakot air strikes, he said the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi created Bangladesh by splitting Pakistan, but never took political advantage of the military victory.