Sharad Pawar, the president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has been booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 25,000 crore rupees money laundering case. ED registered case against Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar and 70 other officials under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Pawar tried to put up a brave face and said the move will benefit him politically. “I am not surprised that the government has taken this decision. This is a clear-cut indication that I am getting a very good response. I’m happy because I haven’t taken a single thing from the bank. I am happy because elections are round the corner and I am getting extremely good response from Maharashtra. Because of this action, the response for me will definitely improve,” said Pawar.
The members of Pawar family, and many other leaders of Congress NCP, the coalition which ruled the state for one and a half decades, were involved in 25,000 crore rupees Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank scam case.
The MSC bank gave loan to office bearers and directors of local co-operative sugar factories (CSFs) between 2001 and 2011, and this led to 25,000 crore rupees scam. The loans were sanctioned in fraudulent manner, and there was conflict of interest in sanctioning them.
The directors sanctioned loans to CSFs on the basis of political of connections of the people who controlled them. Many CSFs were in very bad financial position with negative net worth and no collateral, but loans were ‘awarded’ to these companies as they were backed by directors of MSF.
The 48 directors of MSC bank included prominent elected officials from various political parties. Ajit Pawar, nephew of Sharad Pawar and the then Deputy Chief Minister of the State, Dilip Deshmukh, brother of former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh are among the prominent faces who were directors at MSC bank. Some other political faces include Isharlal Jain, Jayant Patil, Shivaji Rao Nalvade, Rajendra Shingane and Madan Patil.
The CSFs turned sick and the directors of MSF gained control of these units. The sick units were sold at throwaway prices to the people with political connections, and this led to huge loss of MSF Bank but the directors made huge money on both front. They benefitted from fraudulent loans and got kickbacks from the purchasers of sick units.
Pawar family is the best example of how politicians use public offices to reap economic dividends. Sharad Pawar built the political and business empire by influencing the agriculture and related industries through policy manipulation. The cooperative banks, sugar mills, agriculture market produce committee (APMC) were the instruments for Sharad Pawar to build the power base the politics of the state.
For decades, cooperative banks in Maharashtra have been managed by members of the Congress and NCP. Most of sugar factories in state are dominated by Congress leaders and has political link to APMC market. 70 percent if 200 sugar factories of the state are dominated thus and therefore the politicians enjoyed clout over poor farmers.
Pawar family, possibly the most corrupt political family in the country might be next big fish after former finance minister Chidambaram. Pawars have been accused of having links with criminals, illegal use of state power, and corruption. “During their tenure as Ministers in the centre and state, the Pawars only looted thousands of crores of rupees through irrigation projects, infrastructure, and realty sectors. They were now worried about all these scams,” said PM Modi during 2019 general election campaign. He also termed NCP as “Naturally Corrupt Party”.
Sharad Pawar has close association with underworld don and 1990 Bombay bombings conspirator Dawood Ibrahim. He enjoys close relationship with real estate billionaire and 2G spectrum suspect Shahid Balwa. Nira Radia, the political lobbyist accused in 2G spectrum scam said that Balwa is just face of DB Realty, the company is actually controlled by Pawar family.
The daughter of Sharad Pawar-Supriya Sule and his son in law were accused to held 21.97 percent stake in Lavasa Corporation Limited (LCL) from 2002 to 2004. “All the necessary permission from the government for Lavasa was received in this period. After that, both of them quietly sold off their stakes,” said Ms. Suniti of the National Alliance of People’s Movement.
A former IPS officer and practicing lawyer Yogesh Pratap Singh alleged that “the former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, who was then Irrigation Minister, and Chairman of the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation, had misused his official powers, awarding 348 acres (141 hectares) of land at throwaway prices to the Lake City Corporation which was renamed Lavasa Corporation, The land was awarded at a paltry monthly rent of Rs. 23,000, of which share of 20.81 per cent was held by Mr. Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, and her husband Sadanand Sule.”
In 2010, IPL matches were tax exempted due to Pawar’s close association with BCCI. He had a long stint at BCCI, Mumbai Cricket Association and controlled the richest sports body in the country for decades.
As the anti-corruption drive is in full swing, it is very likely that the members of the most corrupt political family in the country will be behind the bars very soon.