Maharashtra irrigation scam: Whistleblower names Gadkari

In a new twist to the political crisis in Maharashtra that has risen from an irrigation scam, one of the whistleblowers has named Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari for trying to suppress it.

Anjali Damania is instrumental in blowing the lid off the Rs.72, 000 crore scam. Damania said that when she met Gadkari in August at his home in Worli, Mumbai, he told her to not push too hard to expose the scam.

...

Damania said that the BJP's attitude was very discouraging, as was that of Gadkari, who even allegedly stated to having business ties with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.

Without naming Gadkari, Damania said ''the opposition party chief'' told her "we help Pawar and he helps us, can't do anything in this scam."

She claimed to have met Gadkari thrice, once in Delhi in June 2011 and twice in Mumbai, in August 2011 and August 14 this year.

"Since the NCP and the Congress are together, we went to the opposition party, but they strictly told me that they could not do anything about it. Their party president himself told me that he could not do anything regarding this; he shares businesses with Sharad Pawar. They help each other in their matters. So, he could not do anything about it. We were shocked after getting such kind of a reply," she said.

The BJP is in the opposition in Maharashtra.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who has submitted his resignation from the post of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, has been accused by his political opponents of being involved in the irrigation scam when he was the state's water resources minister.

...