The clean and transparent image of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had taken a severe blow as housing minister Prakash Mehta faces charges of corruption and the Opposition parties - Congress and NCP - are seeking his ouster.
Mehta, 58, the Gujarati face in the Fadnavis-government, comes from the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai - and has an RSS background. He is a six-time BJP MLA and was also a minister in the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP saffron alliance government between 1995-99.
The Congress and NCP are seeking his resignation or his removal from the ministry over allegedly allowing unauthorised transfer of extra building rights in a slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) project in south Mumbai, originally granted to slum dwellers, to project affected people (PAPs), apparently to favour a developer.
"What ever the CM decides is okay for me....I would abide by it," Mehta told reporters on Thursday in the Vidhan Bhavan complex amidst growing demand for his ouster and comparisons with BJP veteran Eknath Khadse, who had to step down in June, 2016, on alleged charges of corruption and links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind of March 12, 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.
Fadnavis is finding it extremely difficult to defend him, however, in both the Houses of Maharashtra legislature, he had put up strong ground for Mehta's defence. "How can there be the talk of corruption? Mehta's decision was scrapped and no final action was taken. No benefits were given to anyone," said Fadnavis.
"The charges against the minister is serious," former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, adding: "dal me Kuch Kala hai". "The minister, bureaucrat, builder nexus needs to be exposed," he said. "Mehta had written on the file that Fadnavis had been informed about the proposal where it was not...this is something serious," said the leader of opposition in Assembly, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil.
Published 04 August 2017, 13:37 IST