With the Anti-Corruption Bureau giving her a clean chit in the 'chikki' purchase case, Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde today said the allegations against her were part of a plan to defame her.
"I had said many times that there was no substance in the allegations (of irregularities in chikki purchase). On several occasions in the Legislative Assembly also, I have replied to the charges," Pankaja said.
"Those who made the allegations saw a lot of irregularities in 'chikki' that wasn't even distributed (among schoolchildren)," the Women and Child Welfare Minister said.
"A supari (contract) was taken to defame me," Pankaja said. The BJP Minister, however, did not disclose who was behind the move to malign her.
"The ACB has given me a clean chit. I am absolved of the charges. I wasn't involved in any wrongdoing," Pankaja asserted.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has closed the case against the Minister in the matter pertaining to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for materials worth Rs 206 crore for school children.
Pankaja was accused of flouting norms in awarding contracts for supplying items like 'chikki' (sweetmeat made with nuts and jaggery), mats, notebooks and water filters, among others, for schoolchildren.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant had last year lodged a complaint with the ACB demanding an inquiry into the allegations against the Minister and submitted a set of documents purportedly supporting the charges.
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"There were no price escalations. Even the Supreme Court had found nothing wrong in the tenders for procurements by the Women and Child Welfare department," the minister said.
Pankaja said she was happy with the ACB's decision and felt vindicated. "My people always believed in me despite the allegations; ACB clean chit is welcome," she added.
However, Sawant alleged the "ACB is working under the pressure of state government...If it cannot function independently, it's better to lock it down."
Sawant said the agency took the version of only those people against whom allegations have been made, and given the clean chit.
He said the Women and Child Welfare department had issued 24 government resolutions (GRs) for procurements worth Rs 206 crore which were "illegal".
"However, instead of investigating whether the institutions from where procurements are being made exist or not, the ACB under pressure of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave Pankaja a clean chit," the Congress leader said.
Sawant asked ACB to make public its investigating report.
"We have demanded the probe report and would continue to pursue the matter. It's unfortunate that one department is involved in corruption and another department wraps up the corruption case under pressure of the CM," he said.
Meanwhile, NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said his party would fight the "chikki scam case" against Pankaja in court and alleged ACB was functioning under Fadnavis' pressure.
"As many as 22 ministers in the government face various allegations of corruption, but the CM has given a clean chit to everybody. ACB absolved the minister based on a report from Women and Child Welfare department. This shows the agency did not investigate the case," Malik added.
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Activist and former AAP leader Anjali Damania said time has come to "lock down" the ACB for seven years.
"This ACB has been proved to be a puppet and toothless time and again and now time has come when it should be locked down with seven-lever period.
"This is extremely unfortunate that the case, in the form of a scam, which was completely against the accused on the basis of documentary evidences, has been disposed off in such a political manner," she said.
Damania had earlier filed corruption cases against NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and has also been following the Pankaja Munde case.
"In case of water filters, where the rates were fixed, they were increased arbitrarily by the minister. In this case, the contract for 'chikki' (was awarded) to a Sindhudurg-based NGO against the recommendation that it should not be given to the said NGO. (Not only that) more than double the amount (Rs 80 cr against Rs 37 cr) was paid to the same contractor for the same contract," she alleged.
Damania alleged ACB "overlooked" documentary evidence in instances of financial misappropriation.
"Besides supplying substandard 'chikki', medicine allocation was cut down for malnourished children to save costs even as higher costs (were incurred) for items like water filter, which amounts to a criminal offence. However, the anti-corruption watchdog overlooked these documentary evidences," she said.
Maharashtra unit president of Samajwadi Party, Abu Asim Azmi said the "clean chit" was bound to be given as nothing else could be expected from the government.
"We sensed something was wrong when Chief Minister himself had given Pankaja Munde a clean chit without going into the merits of the allegations which were based on facts, figures and documents.
"At a time when the matter is in court, awarding a clean chit raises the doubts about the intentions of the agency and the government," he said.
