Nitin Gadkari has turned out to be the latest target of theseries of exposes the Indian Against Corruption (IAC) has launched. IACconvener Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues have accused the Bharatiya JanataParty president of forging a nexus with the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) government of Maharashtra to grab a large amount of farming land.
The allegations should silence the repeated Congresscriticism of the IAC as a ‘B-team’ of BJP. But both the leading parties havepooh-poohed the latest from Kejriwal. While top BJP leadership defended Gadkariand termed the charges as baseless, the Congress was none too enthused withDigvijay Singh saying there was nothing new in the charges and he wasdisappointed.
Addressing an overcrowded press conference in theConstitution Club in New Delhi, Kejriwal alleged that Gadkari had colluded withthe then Maharashtra Irrigation Minister, Ajit Pawar to get the land allottedto his NGO in violation of government rules and that too in a region facing anagrarian crisis and farmers’ suicides.
Kejriwal began the press meet on a dramatic note, asking,“Is BJP an opposition party or in connivance with the ruling party? Are NitinGadkari’s business interests clashing with those of the farmers?”
Then he introduced fellow IAC activist Anjali Damania fromMumbai, saying, “When Damania came across irregularities in irrigation inMaharashtra, she met Gadkari expecting support. She was shocked because he toldher that, ‘We have good relations with Pawar. We do four favours to them, theydo four favours to us...’ When she told this to the press, Gadkari of coursedenied any relation with Pawar.”
Kejriwal then produced documents. For example, according toone of them, Gadkari wrote a letter on June 4, 2005 to then IrrigationMinister, Ajit Pawar asking for the extra 36.51 hectares of land acquired fromthe farmers. Four days later, Pawar placed the letter before the VidarbhaIrrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) meeting. A few days later, the VIDCapproved the demand despite opposition from an official.
According to this document, Gadkari proposed that 37hectares of land should be given to him and another 10 hectares to anothercompany named Gems of India. His proposal was promptly accepted. After a while,Gems of India expressed inability to maintain its share of land which was alsogiven to Gadkari’s company. Gadkari’s company also used the acquired land foragriculture. While the original owners of land, that is farmers, were out ofthe scene, the income from land now filled Gadkari's coffers, IAC alleged inits press release.
On June 6, 2008, Gajanan Ghadge, a local farmer whose landhad been acquired despite his opposition, wrote to the local MLA that the lawprovides for the acquired land in excess to be returned to farmers. On June 21,2008, the sub-divisional engineer called Ghadge to his field where Gadkari’smen were already present. The officer told the farmer that his land will beoccupied by Gadkari's men. Despite Ghadge’s pleadings, it happened exactly so.Ghadge later filed a police complaint, Kejriwal said.
Gadkari, who has ahuge business empire of 17 companies, inluduing sugar factories, power plants,distilleries and NGOs, put up a brave face. He told the Hindustan Times: “I'mtargeted to weaken the BJP... What rules were bent? What is the scam? Wasteland was given for raising sugarcane nursery as per rules.” Responding to thecharges that irrigation water was diverted to his factories, he said, “Ourprojects don't consume even 0.85 % of dam water.”
“It's a conspiracy to show that the BJP and all of us arethieves and they are the only saviours...” he said.
