By inducting Ashok Chavan, BJP also became part of Adarsh Society scam, alleges Uddhav

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday hit out the BJP, saying that by inducting former Congress leader Ashok Chavan, the ruling party has also become a part of the multi-crore Adarsh Housing Society scam now.

Earlier, the BJP used to target Chavan saying the families of martyrs were fooled in the Adarsh scam, but now the same party is involved in fooling them, he alleged.

Thackeray was addressing a press conference at Nanded in Maharashtra, where he arrived to campaign for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate Vasant Chavan from the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency.

Ashok Chavan, a former Maharashtra chief minister, is an accused in the Adarsh Housing Society scam wherein a 31-storey posh building in south Mumbai was constructed allegedly on land owned by the Defence Ministry without getting the requisite permissions and clearances.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2014 sought to delete Chavan's name from the case but this was rejected both by the special CBI court and later by the Bombay High Court in 2015. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court which in 2018 stayed proceedings in the case.

Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in February this year and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha after being fielded by the party. At the time of joining the ruling party, Chavan termed the Adarsh case as a "political mishap" and said he considered it a "non-issue" now.

Thackeray said, "The Adarsh scam case is yet to be decided by the court. Now, BJP has inducted Ashok Chavan into the party fold and made him a Rajya Sabha member. So this way, BJP is also involved in the Adarsh scam now." "There are videos (of BJP leaders) saying that Adarsh Society was formed and the families of martyrs were fooled. But after Chavan joined the BJP, he was also praised on stage," he said.

Earlier the BJP leaders used to say that families of martyrs were fooled in the Adarsh scam, Thackeray said.

"Now it is my allegation that BJP is also involved in fooling the martyrs' families," he said.

Thackeray also said that after Chavan quit the Congress, several new faces came up in the party.

"Congress has received a fresh fillip after Ashok Chavan's departure. The barriers in the path of new leaders are now gone. The 'subhedari' in our party also crumbled," he said, apparently referring to the Eknath Shinde-led camp.

On the state government's decision to provide a Y-plus security cover to Parth Pawar, the son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Sena (UBT) president said, "I have heard that rocket launchers and tanks are also being deployed for his security. People working at the residences of those who betrayed are being provided security, but common people are not secure. Firing took place in front of actor Salman Khan's residence." "But the people who are with them (those in power) are given security. Who is paying for their security is the question. They (government) are collecting taxes from people, who are not safe, and providing security to the traitors," Thackeray alleged.