Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s announcement of a departmental inquiry against 45 officials of the Vidarbha Irrigation Develop-ment Corporation has evoked mixed reactions from political leaders. Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray congratulated the chief minister, but others, including a Congress MLA, have demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the irrigation scam.
Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar sought a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam, saying: “Departmental inquiry or any such inquiry will not be of much consequence as the officials will themselves be doing the inquiry. An actual inquiry will take place if a special investigation team is set up or the CBI is asked to do the inquiry. I will be meeting the chief minister to request him to hand over the inquiry to the CBI.”
The demand of the Congress MLA from Chandrapur is significant as he has been minister of state for irrigation earlier.
Leader of the Opposition Vinod Tawade of the BJP also demanded a CBI inquiry, saying a departmental inquiry or even the white paper could be an eyewash. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the action against bureaucrats was an attempt to shield politicians involved in the scam.