ED probes BMC Covid centre scam: In counter-attack, Uddhav seeks probe into PM Cares, BJP-ruled civic bodies

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund was set up in 2020 as a public charitable trust with the aim of having a dedicated national fund to deal with distress related primarily to Covid-19. The PM is the chairperson and members include the defence, Home and finance ministers.

Uddhav also demanded inquiries into the civic bodies of Thane, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur as well as those in other places, especially in BJP-ruled states like Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. While the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur municipal corporations were ruled by the BJP during the pandemic, Thane was under the undivided Shiv Sena and said to be controlled by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“You can surely conduct an inquiry into the transactions and functioning of BMC during the Covid period. We are not afraid. But there was an Epidemic Act and Disaster Management Act in place at that time. Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) himself imposed the Disaster Management Act. Of course, in such an emergency and dire situation, you have to go beyond the rules and prioritise saving people’s lives and take decisions on giving contracts. The Centre also made purchases in a similar way by going beyond and relaxing the rules and regulations,” the former chief minister said.

Uddhav dared the BJP to conduct similar inquiries in all parts of the country which are ruled by the BJP.

“If an inquiry is to be done, then let the inquiry happen into Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) too. BJP leader and Thane MLA Sanjay Kelkar had demanded an inquiry into the TMC. But it is not being done. In the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, the chairman of the standing committee was caught red-handed (for corruption) during the Covid period. He belonged to the BJP. If you have guts, then inquire into the Thane Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation, Nagpur Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation too. If you have the guts, then conduct inquiries into the irregularities that took place in all states of the country, starting from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” he said.

“This government (Shinde-Fadnavis government) was born out of khokes (boxes of money, a reference to horse trading). What will they investigate us? TV debates demanded details of Surat, Guwahati, Goa chartered plane expenses. But it is not given. Let’s take a review of that too. Where did that money come from?” Uddhav said.

Uddhav warned Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis against targeting his family, saying that he and the Sena (UBT) would also target the latter’s family. “Devendra ji, don’t stoop to such low levels. You have a family too. The WhatsApp chats of your families are also coming out. But we have not talked about your family. So don’t talk about our family. I am sensitive about my family. My family is whole of my Sainiks across the state,” he said.

Fadnavis had criticised Uddhav on Friday for attending the Opposition party meeting in Patna and stated that the meeting was held to save the leaders’ families.

Uddhav held a meeting of Sena UBT office-bearers at the Shivaji Natya Mandir in Mumbai ahead of a mega march to the BMC scheduled for July 1.

“Now they are talking about corruption in the BMC during the Covid period. But at the same time, the chief minister of Maharashtra was named as the best chief minister in the country. The party is upset because not a single chief minister of the BJP was named as the best chief minister. He attacked Suraj Chavan, who is Suraj? He is just an ordinary Shiv Sainik. These all are being done because there is fear in their hearts about us,” he said.

In the middle of this week, the Enforcement Directorate had searched premises connected to persons reportedly close to Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Aaditya Thackeray as well as the central purchase department of the BMC. The ED is probing alleged irregularities in the allotment of a civic contract to a firm to operate a jumbo COVID treatment facility.