The ruling Congress party in Maharashtra is not prepared to spare its co-partner Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on the issue of multi-crore irrigation scam. Interestingly, state's Agriculture Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil punctured NCP's claim of 5.17% rise in the irrigation potential saying that the actual increase was partly 0.1% during 1999-2000 and 2009-2010 as observed in the Economic Survey of Maharashtra. The opposition, which has contested NCP's argument, got a ready missile after the minister's views and pressed for its demand for the establishment of special investigation team to probe the scam.
A two-page letter without any date addressed by agriculture secretary SK Goyal to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was allegedly leaked from the Congress party insiders on Thursday night after NCP had released two booklets reiterating its claim that the irrigation potential rose by 5.17% and not 0.1%. NCP's stand was immediately countered by the opposition both in and outside the state legislature. However, during the entire proceedings on Thursday and Friday, which were marked by slogan shouting from NCP and opposition members, the Congress party legislators including Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan were silent observers.
Vikhe-Patil stuck to his stand and said the irrigation potential rose to 17.9% in 2009-10 compared to 17.8% in 2000-01. The minister questioned how the well irrigation can be included in the irrigation potential projected by the water resources department. Minister's statement came at a time when NCP leader and state’s home minister RR Patil had said it was a printing mistake that the irrigation potential surged by 0.1%. This has not gone down well in the Congress camp which decided to hit back.
Vikhe-Patil, who is a known baiter of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and his nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, took yet another opportunity to further embarrass NCP on the irrigation scam issue. "Chief Minister had given his approval for the release and not to accept the white paper on irrigation sector without any discussion during the cabinet meeting held the third week of November. CM and the Congress party in general do not want to be party to NCP's misdeeds. There are five petitions pending for admission and justice in different courts on irrigation scam and it will not be proper for the Congress party to openly support NCP," a senior Congress minister told Business Standard on a condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, opposition in both the houses of state legislature on Friday were quite firm in demanding SIT probe. In fact, the state agriculture secretary's letter came quite handy to the opposition which reiterated that the NCP and water resources department were misguiding the people of state by showing a rise of 5.17% in irrigation potential. Two houses were adjourned amid din after today's business was over.
Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in the state assembly said the opposition would take up the issue on Monday after a two-day holiday for the winter session.
