The Maharashtra Congress on Sunday demanded an apology from the BJP for levelling “false” allegations of corruption against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the State over the Manora MLA hostel project in Mumbai.
On May 7, BJP legislator Atul Bhatkalkar had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleging a ₹300 crore scam in the redevelopment of Manora MLA hostel in south Mumbai, and said the cost had increased by 66%.
Responding to the charges, State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said in a statement, “The BJP’s lies are exposed as the Central government-owned National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited (NBCC) has decided the cost of the project for reconstruction of the Manora MLA Hostel.”
Therefore, Mr. Bhatkhalkar and the BJP, who had been levelling corruption charges without knowing how the figure of ₹900 crore arrived at, must now offer an unconditional apology, he said.
The decision to rebuild the Manora MLA hostel was taken by the Devendra Fadnavis government and the work was given to the NBCC by that dispensation, he said.
“The NBCC had first stated the cost of the project at ₹810 crore in the draft e-tender notice submitted to the legislature on February 28, 2020. But in December that year, it increased the cost of the project to ₹875.62 crore in its detailed estimate,” he said.
Due to the delay, the State government took away the contract from the NBCC and handed it over to the Public Works Department, Mr. Sawant added.
The Congress shares power with the Shiv Sena and NCP in the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray.