Ajit Pawar Alleges 'Backstabbing' in Maharashtra Irrigation Scam

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar accused his late colleague R R Patil of 'backstabbing' by initiating an inquiry against him in a multi-crore irrigation scam. Pawar claims Patil approved the inquiry despite being a close associate. BJP's Devendra Fadnavis later revealed the inquiry file to Pawar.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has made serious allegations, claiming he was 'backstabbed' by his former close colleague R R Patil, the then home minister, who ordered an open inquiry against him in a multi-crore irrigation scam.

Pawar stated that the BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis showed him a file with Patil's remarks approving the inquiry after Fadnavis assumed office as chief minister in 2014. This revelation came during a rally attended by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supporters, where Pawar was campaigning for NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil in Sangli district.

Pawar, who served as Maharashtra's Water Resources Development Minister from 1999-2009, refuted the allegations of a Rs 70,000 crore scam, emphasizing the project's total expenditure was Rs 43,000 crore. Notably, the Anti-Corruption Bureau cleared him of wrongdoing in the Vidarbha irrigation scam in 2019.

(With inputs from agencies.)