Maharashtra Cabinet expansion: After sacking, clamour for action against BJP MLA grows

While Maharashtra’s Lokayukta ML Tahaliyani has submitted an inquiry report in Mehta’s case, the government is yet to make the report public. But with some unconfirmed reports claiming that the Lokayukta had passed strictures against Mehta, the Opposition has stepped up the demand for action against him.

Governor P Vidyasagar administering the oath of office to newly inducted ministers. (Source: twitter/@CMOMaharashtra)

Confirming that the report had been submitted to him, Fadnavis earlier refused to comment further on the issue. “An action taken report on it will be submitted in the Monsoon Session,” he had said, adding “I do not wish to comment further on the issue. It (the report) is the property of the state legislature. Any discussion on it (outside the House) can invite a breach of privilege of the members.”

Sources, however, said the BJP leadership’s move to drop Mehta from the government was meant to pre-empt the Opposition’s offensive. On June 21, 2017, Mehta, then housing minister, had issued orders permitting the slum developer to utilise the buildable space or the floor space index — originally sanctioned for the expansion of existing rehabilitation tenements of slumdwellers — for building tenements for the project-affected people. He had permitted the developer to retain the incentive sale area of 71,822 square feet, which he would have had to otherwise forego. The government had later blocked the proposal. Incidentally, the role of ex-SRA CEO Vishwas Patil, a retired IAS office, and the CM himself too had come under the scanner in the matter. Following an uproar over the allegations against Mehta, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao had asked Justice Tahaliyani to conduct a probe in the matter on September 6, 2017.

Incidentally, three others to be dropped from the Council of Ministers — Rajkumar Badole, Vishnu Sawara, and Dilip Kamble — had faced allegations of wrongdoing. Kamble, who was a junior minister, was even booked in a cheating case in March. Acting on the directives of a court in Aurangabad, the police have registered a case against Kamble, and four others, for allegedly demanding Rs 1.92 crore from a person for issuing licence for a wine shop. While Kamble has been denying any wrongdoing, the Opposition has been pressing for his resignation.

Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan accused that Mehta’s removal from the Cabinet was to “shield him” from any criminal action. “The cabinet rejig was nothing but an exercise to hide the corruption and the failures of the government,” said Chavan.