Maharashtra Chief Minister prithviraj Chavan has finally promised action in the case of alleged “fixed” auctioning of sick sugar cooperative mills in the state.
While the struggle of Anna Hazare for a Lok Pal is yet to fructify, he along with Medha Patkar have succeeded in making the CM listen.
Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Thursday assured a delegation, led by social activist Anna Hazare, that the state will seriously look into suspected irregularities in auctions of 40 sick sugar cooperatives by the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank Ltd.
On Wednesday, Hazare, fellow activist Medha Patkar and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna president and member of Parliament Raju Shetti held a rally at Azad Maidan in Mumbai and alleged that some politicians had made windfall gains by purchasing the cooperatives.
These leaders alleged 40 sugar cooperative factories, which had became sick, were auctioned by the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd between 2005 and 2013 as these cooperatives had not repaid loans.
Private firms belonging to politicians such as deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal, former chief minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan, former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, BJP’s deputy leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde and leader of opposition in the state assembly Eknath Khadse bought such cooperatives, they alleged.
Shetty alleged that the promoters of these sugar cooperatives were either these prominent politicians themselves or their party activists. They ensured these factories turn sick by mismanaging their affairs first, and later on, bought them through their private firms. He also alleged that these factories were auctioned by the cooperative bank, controlled by the same bunch of politicians.