Accusing Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan of shielding then irrigation minister Ajit Pawar under pressure from coalition partner NCP, state BJP president Devendra Fadanavis told reporters here that "Chavan misled people about the terms of reference of the Chitale Committee, saying that it will cover the entire scam. However, in his recently submitted report, the water expert pointed out irregular transactions to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore and suggested an independent probe, since these aspects were outside the committee's jurisdiction".
Transactions which fell outside the scope of terms of reference of the Madhav Chitale committee included those related to "post-tender updating" worth Rs 11,000 crore and extended allied works without floating tenders amounting Rs 5,000 crore, he said.
"Maharashtra Chief Minister Chavan is equally responsible for corruption in irrigation projects along with the concerned ministers who signed their approval, since he chose to remain silent and shield the guilty," Fadanavis alleged.