Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Anil Gote on Wednesday revealed that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was in the know of allegations of corruption and inquiries against ousted officer Radheshyam Mopalwar three months before the action was taken.
Mr. Mopalwar was the former vice-president and managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, and officer in-charge of the Mumbai-Nagpur super expressway project.
“I had presented all the facts before the Chief Minister three months ago. He was shocked,” said Mr. Gote at a press conference.
Following a report by The Hindu , Mr. Fadnavis in the monsoon session had removed him and announced a joint Special Investigation Team of senior IAS officers and officials from the Economic Offence Wing to probe the allegations. However, in his speech, he had not mentioned about knowing about the allegations earlier.
The MLA said that he did not know why no action was taken against Mr. Mopalwar before the monsoon session. “You should ask the CM? But let me clarify that I was not stopped from going deep into the matter by Mr. Fadnavis. It says a lot about his intention to punish the corrupt.”
Mr. Gote has also complained against government officers from Maharashtra, including Mr. Mopalwar, to the Prime Minister Office, for investing black money in a shell company called ‘Arnold Holding Limited’ to the tune of over ₹800 crore.
He also alleged that the money has been used to purchase lands along the proposed expressway, the pet project of the Chief Minister.
“The party ruling the State has changed, but bureaucracy remains the same. Unless action is taken against the corrupt, the system will not change,” said Mr. Gote.
