FATE OF DUO

While the Congress high command is trying their best to fight out the corruption charges and public ire against UPA government, two allegedly corrupt politicians, viz, Kripashankar Singh and Manikrao Thakre in Maharashtra are trying their best lobbying to stay back in their lucrative position, writes MURALEEDHARAN RAGHAVAN with VIKRAM JADAV

DOING DONKEY work never felt good. However, to keep their position intact, Mharashtra’s two senior Congress leaders, allegedly involved in malpractices, corruption, misuse of their offices, are trying to please their bosses and colleagues.

While the Congress high command is all set to decide on appointment of presidents for the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) and the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), two allegedly tainted politicians who occupy the prestigious post, viz, Manikrao Thakre and Kripashankar Singh are waiting for the ‘judgment’ day.

Kripashankar, who is known to be very close to Ahmed Patel, political advisor of Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadhera, would be ousted this time, said sources at AICC. There are also allegations that Kripashankar’s aide at the MRCC includes a man close to gangster Chotta Shakeel. “This man dictate terms at the MRCC office,” said a senior Congress leader.

In the meantime, the ruling ally of Congress, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is not seems to be comfort with the present situation. The party is going full steam ahead with preparations for the forthcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Amid the factional fights, the former Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, against whom the Supreme Court has passed strictures, is backing Latur MP Jaywantrao Awale for the MPCC president post. Thakre and Kripashankar may not be asked to continue and the Congress is likely to look for leaders who could hold the party together during the crucial local bodies’ elections.

According to reports, name of State party vice-president Rajni Patil was under consideration along with another former Minister, Vasudha Deshmukh. Ms Patil, who is from Beed in the Marathwada region, could be a strong candidate for the MPCC president post. Singh may not be nominated again as a disproportionate assets case is pending against him in the Bombay High Court and his credentials amongst grass-root Congress workers are not so good. There is a visible tussle going on between factions loyal to Singh and to the former MRCC president, Gurudas Kamat, who is now Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Communications and Information Technology.

It may be recalled that, about six months ago, the MPCC and the MRCC passed resolutions authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to elect their leaders. Meanwhile, during last week, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who completed 100 days in Maharashtra, turned down Singh’s request to inaugurate a local party office, in Kurla. According to sources, CMs office had made enquiries and found that the new jansampark karyalaya, located in the Shivaji Kutir Mandal slum in Kurla, was on land reserved for a secondary school. “It seems to be a revenge by Chavan as Singh and leaders loyal to him didn’t turned up in a dinner organised by Kamat to honour the CM,” said a senior Congress leader.

Singh tried to downplay the allegations and then invited cabinet minister and guardian minister for Mumbai suburbs, Naseem Khan, to inaugurate the office. The people in and around Singh’s constituency alleged that the new office - though temporary - comes free of cost and is owned by a developer keen on putting up a slum rehabilitation scheme in the area other than the school. This was confirmed by both Singh and the developer, Mohammed Masroor of M&M Developers.

“The office was locked since 2008. During the recent assembly elections, it was used as an election office and Singh had seen it. Since he did not have an office in the area, he asked me for the place. I have given it on lease,” Masroor told the media. According to a recent report appeared in the Times of India, the Shivaji Kutir Mandal slum abuts LBS Marg, Bandra-Kurla Complex and Mithi River and when Singh invited Chavan to inaugurate his new office on January 22, the CMO’s office asked the BMC office about the plot’s status. Civic officials inspected the land, measured it and even checked the development plan for L ward (Kurla).

The TOI claims that it has a copy of the letter dated January 21 that was then sent by BMC’s chief engineer (development plan) R S Kuknur to the CM’s personal secretary stating, “The land under the shop is reserved for a secondary school in the development plan.” ‘Kripashankar and Masroor are business partners,” said a party worker from Kurla. However, the duo claims they are long-time friends and there is no business connection in between. Kripashankar told reporters that he knew Masroor, who has developed various slums and earned a good sum out of it, before he became a developer. Kripashankar has also confirmed that he had used the office in question during the last assembly election campaign.

However, activists allege that by seeking political patronage, developers try to intimidate slum-dwellers to sign up for an SRA scheme. Naseem Khan said the CM did not attend as he was busy. “The slum is on this land for 40 years. These are protected structures including the one housing the jansampark office. No new structure has been constructed and there are plans to carry out an SRA scheme here.” Meanwhile, in a PIL alleging unaccountable assets owned by Singh, the petitioner filed one more affidavit in the Bombay High Court alleging misuse of official position and sought a direction to the probe agencies to widen their scope of investigation.

The affidavit alleged huge transactions in the bank account of Kripashankar’s daughter-in-law, misuse of powers by issuing 104 gun licenses to Bombay Intelligence Security (India) Ltd. “How can so many licenses are issued to one company,” the PIL asked.

The petitioner also pointed out that Singh had filed false declaration of educational qualifications by him before the Election Commission and illegal formation of a housing society for his own benefit.

The PIL, filed by Sanjay Tiwari, would come up for hearing on March 3 before a bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah. The affidavit would also be heard on the same day.

The PIL had linked Singh to the infamous multi-crore Madhu Koda scandal and demanded a probe into his “unaccountable” assets. The Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax and Anti-corruption Bureau had informed the court that they were already conducting a probe. However, the court decided to monitor investigations.

It may be recalled that in 2006 Singh was AICC observer for Jharkhand and was instrumental in installing the Koda government. The PIL alleged that Kripashankar’s son Sanjay is married to daughter of a minister in the then Koda’s cabinet. Kripashankar’s name also surfaced in Koda’s diary as a beneficiary, it alleged.

The PIL also alleged that Singh and his family members had multiple bank accounts and he himself has two PAN cards. His wife too has two PAN cards; the petition alleged and listed a series of properties owned by the family.

The affidavit said that Kripashankar’s son Sanjay is married to daughter of Kamlesh Singh, who is an aide of Koda. The petitioner said that ED must look into the bank accounts of Ankita (Kamlesh’s daughter). Soon after her marriage to Sanjay in 2008, her account shows entries of more than Rs 1.75 crore. “The ED must look into Ankita Singh’s account to ascertain the source of money,” the petitioner said, alleging that this was “obviously” received from Kamlesh Singh.

Meanwhile, in a related development, Narayan Rane criticized CM over his inability to take quick decisions related to clearing of files and reshuffle within the bureaucracy. Chavan has dismissed the charge levelled by Rane against his style of work as baseless. Prahaar, a Marathi daily, owned by Rane criticised Chavan’s style of working.

It may be recalled that the high command said infighting would not be tolerated and stringent action against those who involve criticizing each other, Prahaar reported that almost 800 files pending and that there are crucial departments without bureaucrats.

However, Chavan’s group said that there are a handful of senior ministers in cabinet who are restless because Chavan believes in transparency and accountability. According to Mantralaya sources Rane is angry as certain policy matters taken by his department may get stuck in the pipeline if the concerned file does not get the final clearance from the CM’s office. “The recent decision of Chavan, scrapping the Mahamumbai Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which was proceeded by Rane, in his capacity as revenue minister irked him,” pointed out a senior Congress leader, who added that things would be solved amicably by the high command.