Telgi scam accused BJP MLA unhappy with inquiry into Mopalwar

BJP legislator from Maharashtra Anil Gote, who is an accused in the Telgi scam, on Wednesday expressed unhappiness over Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' decision to appoint a former bureaucrat to investigate alleged corruption by suspended bureaucrat Radheshyam Mopalwar.

Gote and Mopalwar have been at loggerheads since their names surfaced in the multi-crore Telgi fake stamp paper scam.

Briefing the media about the role of Mopalwar here, Gote said he did not have faith in the committee comprising of bureaucrats and demanded an inquiry by an independent committee headed by a sitting high court judge.

"I am sure that Johny Joseph-led committee will not hold inquiry properly since he is a former bureaucrat. Many bureaucrats are complicit in the corruption cases involving Mopalwar."

"I want an independent inquiry by a committee led by a sitting high court judge and members should be selected from Income Tax Department and Anti-Corruption Bureau," he said.

Joseph is a former Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government.

After Gote raised the issue of corruption in the high-profile Mumbai-Nagpur highway project, Fadnavis had removed Mopalwar from the post of Managing Director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation a few weeks ago.

The legislator from Dhule also said that Mopalwar bought a Kolkata-based company with money collected using corrupt means.

Gote said he wanted to bust the racket of bureaucrats involved in corruption cases.

"I want to finish this corrupt lobby. And I know it can happen in Delhi. That is why I held a press conference here," he said, hinting at lack of faith in the Maharashtra government.

Gote was in jail for about four years in relation to the Telgi scam.

"Actually, Mopalwar is the mastermind of the Telgi scam... Mopalwar was responsible for me going to jail. I do not know why did he do that. But, yes, there was political force behind it," he said, refusing to reveal the names of the political leaders.

The Bharatiya Janata Party legislator demanded re-investigation of Mopalwar's role in the Telgi scam and said he had shared details with the Prime Minister's Office and all central investigation agencies.

Mopalwar could not be reached for a comment.

Incidentally, Mopalwar has been claiming that he was the whistleblower in the Telgi scam.

--IANS

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