Could this be a scam bigger than Adarsh?

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has accused Maharashtra's Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government of being involved in a mega land scam crore by favouring select builders.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, BJP National Secretary Kirit Sommaiya said his party will file a PIL in the Bombay high court in this regard next week.

According to him, then Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had given six builders in Mumbai 235 lakh sq ft of land belonging to the Central and State Government, civic and defence authorities at throwaway prices.

The builders benefited to the tune of Rs 31,500 crore, he said. "In the name of Rajiv Gandhi Aawaas Yogana, the Government not only alloted the projects arbitrarily, but also illegally."

Sommaiya said both Ashok Chavan and his successor Prithviraj Chavan were equally responsible for the directives issued by the Housing Ministry on November 11

last.

"Ashok Chavan was responsible for dubious allotment and Prithviraj Chavan for execution."

The BJP leader said a company with a paid up capital of just Rs 15 lakh was handed over 55.27 lakh sq ft land in the metropolis.

"A project of Rs 10,000 crore with projected profit of Rs 6,400 crore was handed over to the company on November 11. On November 22, an amount of Rs 53 crore was deposited in the government treasury," the former MP said.

To a question on whether the deals he claimed were among the 100 which were stayed by Prithviraj Chavan soon after he took over as the CM in November, Sommaiya said no deal had been scrapped.