NCP-SP & Congress target MahaYuti govt over corruption in tendering process

Mumbai, Aug 16 (IANS) Maha Vikas Aghadi partners NCP-SP and Congress on Friday slammed the MahaYuti government for growing corruption and cuts in the tendering process and announced that their sole objective is to overthrow it in the coming assembly election. 

State NCP SP chief and former Finance Minister Jayant Patil at the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s joint rally accused the MahaYuti government of malpractices in the tender process conducted for various development works in the run-up to the upcoming assembly election.

“On August 13, the Maharashtra cabinet took a decision for the construction of 6,000 km of concrete roads instead of originally proposed asphaltic roads with the increased cost of Rs 37,000 crore through a state undertaking Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation. It has no manpower and infrastructure to carry out such a major work. However, the said Corporation is only engaged in giving works only by taking cuts,” he alleged. 

Patil said that the MahaYuti government had issued a tender for the construction of a road connecting  Jalna and Nanded costing Rs 11,000 crore. 

“Instead, the tender is now for Rs 15,000 crore. The construction cost for one kilometre is a whopping Rs 83 crore,” he claimed. 

He said that the MahaYuti government has proposed a 96 km corridor project from Alibag to Virar with an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore against the tender which is put out for Rs 26,000 crore. 

“The cost of one kilometre will be Rs 273 crores. The cost of Chandrayaan three was quite less compared to this,” said Patil which led to a burst of laughter among the MVA workers. 

Meanwhile, state Congress chief Nana Patole alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has earned money through corruption as two leaders sitting in Delhi are looting Maharashtra by treating it as their personal ATM.  

“They are trying to bankrupt Maharashtra. We will defeat the BJP alliance in the assembly elections and shut Modi and Shah's ATM permanently, and use Maharashtra's money for the people of Maharashtra,” he said.

Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thackeray claimed that people have not yet forgotten the “50 khoke, ekdum okay” phrase (relating to the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government by allegedly paying handsome money). 

“While exposing the scams of the MahaYuti government, remember to tell the people that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government gave loan waivers to farmers in the very first week. Let the people know about the good work done by Maha Vikas Aghadi,” he said.

State Working President Naseem Khan said that corruption has increased significantly during the Mahayuti government's tenure and is inflating tender prices and then taking a commission from it. 

“Now, a ‘cooker scam’ has started in Mumbai, where cookers worth Rs 600 are being purchased for Rs 2,500, and 40,000 to 50,000 cookers are being distributed in each ward. The BJP has brought up the issue of Waqf Board lands but I warn that whether it is land belonging to Hindu temples or Muslim religious sites, any attempt to seize them will not be tolerated,” he added.

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad alleged that prime location plots in Mumbai are being given to a few chosen industry friends. 

“Once the Maha Vikas Aghadi comes to power, we will issue a white paper on the last two years of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation's administration,” she said.