Gholap plays caste card to counter Hazare’s charges

Without naming his opponents or their political affiliations, he said that they were slinging mud over his humble past, but turning a blind eye towards his 25 year struggle, doing odd jobs, to reach his present position.

He said that he respected Hazare but felt that the former should have verified the facts before making public allegations against him. He clarified that there had been no financial irregularities in the purchase of powerlooms by the Mahatma Phule Backward Classes Development Corporation Ltd.

He cited a High Court judgement on the issue in June 1996, when the court had ruled that the petition had been filed by incorporating false facts and that there were no financial irregularities in the corporation.

Gholap further stated that Anna had highly overrated the price of land purchased by him at Beje near Trimbakeshwar. He said that he had bought 14.58 hectare of land for Rs 5.85 lakh and if Anna felt that it was worth crore of rupees he was willing to sell it for any price above Rs 6 lakh. He further stated that he had drawn a five-year masterplan for allocation of ashram schools for NGOs and there were 4,000 applicants for 140 ashram schools. He said that those who did not get sanction for such ashramschools had misinformed Anna.

He further said that his wife had been a regular income-tax payer since 1981-82 and that his earnings and property were legal. He added that instead of slinging mud on him for some mistakes committed 25 years ago, his outstanding performance’ as a Social Welfare Minister should be taken into account.