Politically Powerful Pawar Punched

Sharad Govindrao Pawar (Age 79), though a tall Maratha Leader, is the most confused, conflicting, and combating personality ever since he entered politics at a young age of 22 years. He was the chief minister of Maharashtra on three occasions – viz. in 1978 for 2 years, in 1988 for 3 years and in 1993 for 2 years – thereby he could not occupy the post for the full terms of 5 years on any of his 3 terms – the reasons for which were many – but, definitely it reflects his personality as assessed by us in the opening sentence.

His eluding personality complexes could be explained by quoting two important instances:

•In March 1993, Sudhakarrao Naik stepped down after the disastrous handling of the Bombay riots and then Pawar was sworn in as chief minister on 6th March 1993. But, unfortunately, almost immediately i.e. on 12th March 1993, Mumbai was rocked by a series of bomb blasts. More than a decade later, Pawar admitted that he had deliberately lied and misled people following the bombings, by saying that there were 13 and not 12 explosions and the last one happened in a Muslim-dominated area just to portray that even Muslims were affected by blasts by the Hindus – the seed of Infamous Epithet of Hindu Terror was sown then by Pawar himself. Again he admitted his lying about evidence recovered in the blast sites and misleading into believing that it pointed to the Tamil Tigers as possible suspects.

•After 13th Lok Sabha in 1999, Pawar, P.A.Sangma and Tariq Anwar opposed the Congress proposal to make Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate on the ground that only someone native-born and not the Italian born Sonia Gandhi should be made the PM, they had floated a new party called National Congress Party. But, to prove his confused, conflicting and combating personality cult, the trio – though expelled by the Congress Party in June 1999 – had aligned with the same Sonia Congress to form the Government in Maharashtra to keep Shiv Sena – BJP from forming the government! Without any shame or hurt feeling, Pawar served UPA Government under Super Power Chair Person Sonia and ‘His Madam’s Voice’ Most Silent and Obedient PM Manmohan Singh cabinet during May 2004 – May 2014.

As the Minister of Agriculture, Pawar was consistently accused of colluding in the extreme hike in prices of agricultural produce:

Wheat import in 2007 – The Bombay High Court issued notices to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, questioning the decision to import defective red wheat, and asking for a directive to submit details of procurement of the crop from different states and the exact process of importing it.

Sugar prices in 2009 – Opposition parties, including the BJP and the CPI(M) accused Sharad Pawar of engineering a steep rise in the price of sugar to the advantage of hoarders and importers.

Wheat, Sugar, Rice, and Bean prices in 2009–2010 – The opposition accused Pawar to be responsible on the issue of spiraling prices.

Hence it was strange that in 2017, Modi Government conferred upon Pawar Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour of India.

Since Long, Maharashtra Sugar and Cotton Belts  served by Maharashtra  State Cooperative Bank and many Cooperative Societies were controlled by Pawar and his party functionaries politically, economically and even physically thereby all voters depending upon these institutions have become vote banks for Pawar’s Party and this had made Pawar,  a prominent and dominant leader in those areas.

Now, under this back ground, we should examine the recent Enforcement Directorate’s filing the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) – which is equivalent to a police FIR against NCP Chief Pawar, his nephew and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and others. It is a criminal case of money laundering linked to the alleged Rs.25,000 crore scam in Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB).  This FIR is being relied upon by the ED for investigating Pawar under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.  Apart from Pawar himself, his nephew and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, 70 other officials of MSC Bank are also indicted in the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) by Enforcement Directorate (ED).

What are the leads to this scam?

In 2010, an inspection conducted by the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) laid bare Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSC Bank )’s non-compliance on various parameters and lackadaisical attitude towards addressing issues of supervisory concern, such as loans sanctioned to loss-making cooperative sugar factories without guarantees and factories without guarantees and factories sold at less than the reserve price. Audit Report further recorded that the bank did not ensure compliance while sanction of loans/working capital limits to sugar and spinning sector and that there were deviations from approved credit policy. Audit Report had further alleged that MSC had flouted provisioning norms and an amount of £ 663.90 crore pertaining to loans and advances (NPAs) and £ 80.35 crore pertaining to overdue interest receivable and provision there against were removed from balance sheet and on making adequate Provision thereon, the audit report said that the bank’s losses would be £ 775 crore for the financial year 2009 – 10.

NABARD Audit Report further observed that the bank gave loans/credit limits without obtaining credit authorisation from Nabard for financing of Infrastructure Projects and credit limits to Cotton Marketing Federations and sold properties of borrowing units acquired under SARFAESI Act, 2002, below the reserve price.

An audit report by Joshi and Naik Associates might also be utilised by the probe. When a National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) inspection report in 2010 pointed out the irregularities, as a follow up next year, a charge sheet under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies was filed.

Reserve Bank of India, taking note of the audit report, dismissed the MSC Board comprising 44 elected and 33 nominated directors and the RBI appointed two state government officials as administrators in 2011.

An activist, Surinder Arora, had filed a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in 2015 and approached the high court, seeking that an FIR be registered. The main complainant before the Mumbai Police Surinder Arora also made a supplementary statement saying that the “scam couldn’t have happened without the ‘tutorial’ of Sharad Pawar”.

When the case was brought to the High Court, the HC had held that prima facie, NABARD's inspection report, the complaint, and the charge sheet under the MCS Act showed there existed "credible evidence" against the accused in the case.

The ED slapped criminal charges of money laundering based on the Mumbai Police FIR that was filed in August this year, which itself was filed on the basis of a similar complaint by  the EOW Wing.

The EOW was asked by the Bombay High Court to file a case after a bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and S K Shinde said there was "credible evidence" against the accused  Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and 75 others in the alleged scam.

Pawar had even knocked the doors of the Supreme Court to interfere with the Bombay High Court's direction for the police to register an FIR against Himself, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and over 70 others in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam. But, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Bombay High Court order saying the investigation cannot be stopped, as the case involves huge money.

Above facts will clearly indicate that Law only was taking its course and the allegations of Vendetta Politics seem to be false and they are mere politically motivated move to escape punishments. 

Hence all credits should go to Surinder Arora, an activist and his lawyer S.B.Talekar who had fought a relentless battle to render justice to the audit report of NABARD and to punish all scammers irrespective of their political clouts and their power to pull wires to evade punishments.

Pawar’s plan to get the most political advantage and sympathy of the voters in the election time had terribly gone wrong with his co-accused Ajit Pawar, Nephew of Sharad Pawar, tendering his resignation as legislator to Bagade and Sharad Pawar had forced to cancel his much hyped voluntary appearance before the ED Officials at Mumbai accompanied by all senior NCP leaders and party workers.

This was not the first instance of disharmony between Sharad and Ajit. On earlier occasion in 2004 assembly elections, Ajit was denied by Sharad his ambition of becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and again in 2008 state elections, Sharad stopped Ajit to become the NCP Legislature Leader which would make him a Deputy Chief Minister. Again, recently, Ajit’s request to give his son Parth to contest the Lok Sabha election was also turned down by Sharad. Ajit praised Modi for his bold step to abrogate Article 370 against NCP’s party stand to oppose it. Still Sharad wants Ajit and Ajit had responded openly in the press meet that ‘my uncle is facing trouble at this age mainly due to me.’  But, strangely Ajit had not withdrawn his resignation of MLA seat which goes to prove family feuds are wide and deep – affecting the National Congress Party’s fortunes in the forthcoming State Election in spite of its  50-50 alliance with Sonia Congress!

All such tears and vendetta cries have already lost its steam and the public at large are for ‘Equality in Justice Irrespective of Positions or Power’. 

Even if it is delayed, let there be Justice so that India will be cleansed of such scammers.  

Satyameva Jayathe.