BJP MLC Darekar booked in bank scam, din in Maha assembly

Mumbai police have registered an FIR against Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Pravin Darekar in connection with an alleged bank scam case, an official said on Tuesday.

The FIR against leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council was registered on Monday under various IPC sections, including 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 120-b (criminal conspiracy) following a complaint by Aam Aadmi Party functionary Dhananjay Shinde.

The complainant alleged that Darekar posed as a labourer, which was later found wrong. He was the Mumbai Bank chairman from 2011 to 2021 and allegedly indulged in various financial irregularities, he said.

Shinde said he approached the MRA Marg police here on January 8 to lodge an FIR against Darekar for allegedly cheating people, the bank and the cooperative department.

He claimed that this was a "scam of more than Rs 2,000" and that they will approach the police's Economic Offences Wing in this connection.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Council witnessed adjournments over the issue of an FIR registered against Darekar and the disconnection of power supply to some farmers in the state.

As soon as the House assembled for the day on Tuesday, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis sought to know how many members of the legislature were heading labour organisations.

When Fadnavis was raising this issue, Shiv Sena MLA Balaji Kalyankar demanded that farmers' electricity connections, snapped for non-payment of dues, be restored.

Amid noisy scenes from members of both the opposition and treasury benches, the House had to be adjourned twice -- first for five minutes and later for 15 minutes.

After the second adjournment, BJP members were in the well of the House shouting slogans against the state Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Mahesh Shinde and Balaji Kalyankar (both Shiv Sena) demanded the government restore electricity to transformers of the farmers.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab said the issue will be debated in the House.

To this, Fadnavis wondered what debate the government wants to conduct when Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's assurance, that power connections will not be cut, was not being followed.

"Not just the opposition, but even the treasury benches are demanding that electricity of farmers shouldn't be disconnected. Farmers are committing suicide every day," he said.

The Chair then adjourned the House till 12 noon.

When the House reassembled after the third adjournment, BJP members again went into the well of the House and shouted slogans against the government.

Fadnavis demanded that the state government immediately make an announcement on the issue of power supply to farmers.

He stated that Ajit Pawar had said farmers' power connections will not be cut till May this year. Still, his assurance is not being followed and farmers are committing suicide, the BJP leader said.

He said if the issue of farmers' unrest is not highlighted in the Assembly, the cultivators will not forgive the elected representatives.

Amid the noisy scenes, the Lower House was then adjourned for the fourth time till 1 pm.

The issue of the FIR against Darekar also figured in the Legislative Council, which was also adjourned for some time after the BJP members shouted slogans against the MVA government.

BJP MLC Bhai Girkar said, "The FIR against Darekar is an attempt to muzzle the voice of the opposition. The MVA government has taken action against him because it is being cornered for of its own wrong doings and various scandals that the BJP is exposing."

Amid the din in the Council, Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar adjourned the House for 25 minutes.