Maha BJP targets Sharad Pawar over Patra Chawl case

MUMBAI, (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday demanded probe against NCP president Sharad Pawar in connection with the controversial Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Mumbai.

The Nationalist Congress Party termed the allegations by BJP leader Atul Bhatkhalkar as ”baseless”, and demanded apology from him.

In a letter to Maharashtra deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis, Bhatkhalkar demanded ”time-bound” inquiry against Pawar, citing the charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate in the Patra Chawl case.

The ED has arrested Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in the case for alleged money laundering. ”The Enforcement Directorate has made a reference to former secretary of housing department.

The charge sheet says then Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar had held a meeting in Mumbai along with then chief minister. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was also present there, where the decision to allot the redevelopment work to Guru Ashish Construction company was taken,” the BJP leader alleged in the letter.

As per the ED, the tenants of Patra Chawl, a sprawling tenement in suburban Goregaon in Mumbai, were supposed to get flats after redevelopment, but the flats were never constructed and Guru Ashish Company sold off FSI without permission.

Reacting to the allegations, NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, ”False and baseless allegations have been made against Sharad Pawar. Bhatkhalkar should publicly apologise to Pawar for making such baseless allegations.” The BJP has failed to tackle issues like inflation and unemployment and was trying to divert people’s attention, he added.

The ED charge sheet, filed last week, cites a witness who allegedly told the central agency that in 2008-09, residents of the area approached Sharad Pawar through local politicians for the redevelopment of the chawl.

After several meetings, Sanjay Raut and co-accused Pravin Raut, along with Rakesh Wadhawan of HDIL (Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd) were asked to handle the project, she claimed.

Pravin Raut, a director of Guru Ashish Construction, was Sanjay Raut’s proxy, the witness alleged in the ED statement. (PTI)