Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a day after leaving the Congress, ending his 38-year association with the grand old party.
Chavan, 65, was warmly welcomed into the BJP camp at the party’s Mumbai office by key leaders, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Chavan’s resignation dealt another blow to the Congress, just days after Baba Siddique and Milind Deora left the party. The saffron party is expected to nominate the former chief minister for the Rajya Sabha.
“This was a difficult decision for me. My involvement with the Congress was long. After 38 years in politics, switching from Congress to BJP was not an easy decision. “After much deliberation, I made the decision with the interests of my district Nanded, Maharashtra state, and nation in mind,” Chavan reportedly said at the BJP headquarters on Tuesday.
However, the opposition quickly used the Adarsh Housing Scam to target Ashok Chavan. Uddhav Thackeray said on Monday that if the BJP sends Chavan to the Rajya Sabha, it will be disrespecting martyred soldiers.
What Is Adarsh Housing Scam?
Ashok Chavan’s name has been linked to the Adarsh Housing Society scam since 2011, prompting him to resign from his position as chief minister.
In the Adarsh Housing Society scam, a 31-story apartment complex in South Mumbai intended for 1999 Kargil war heroes and widows was fraudulently handed over to bureaucrats and politicians’ relatives, violating norms.
The building was originally planned to be six stories tall and cost around Rs 8 crore in 2010. However, the building was expanded to 31 stories and allegedly purchased for a tenth of the original price in the names of proxy owners.
Several agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigated the scam, and the names of then-Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak, and others surfaced.
Chavan’s relatives, including his mother-in-law, allegedly owned three flats at the Adarsh Society. The CBI took over the investigation in 2011 and filed a FIR against 14 people, including Chavan, for criminal conspiracy and corruption.
The Congress, which was in power in Maharashtra at the time, forced Chavan to resign from office in 2010 after the scam gained attention.
Centre’s White Paper Mentions Adarsh Scam
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who tabled a ‘white paper on the Indian economy’ in the Lok Sabha last week, cites the Adarsh housing society scam as one of the alleged failings of the UPA’s tenure from 2004 to 2014.
The Adarsh society scam is mentioned in the white paper as one of the corruption cases listed by Sitharaman in Part 2 titled ‘Pervasive Corruption’, and it was one of the high-profile cases during the UPA rule.
How Did Parties Respond?
Chavan’s decision to join the BJP elicited reactions from Maharashtra’s opposition parties, including Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Uddhav Thackeray attacked the BJP, saying, “The Prime Minister and Fadnavis had in the past dubbed Chavan a ‘dealer and not a leader’.”
“They described the Adarsh housing scam as disrespectful to soldiers. I’d like to ask the Prime Minister if he will send Chavan, who has disrespected martyred soldiers and their families, to Rajya Sabha. Thackeray observed.
Chavan’s decision to join the BJP elicited reactions from Maharashtra’s opposition parties, including Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Uddhav Thackeray attacked the BJP, saying, “The Prime Minister and Fadnavis had in the past dubbed Chavan a ‘dealer and not a leader’.”
“They described the Adarsh housing scam as disrespectful to soldiers. I’d like to ask the Prime Minister if he will send Chavan, who has disrespected martyred soldiers and their families, to Rajya Sabha. Thackeray observed.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, without naming Ashok Chavan, stated that the exit of betrayers creates new opportunities for those whose growth they have always stifled.
“When friends and colleagues leave a political party that has given them much – perhaps much more (than) they deserved – it is always a matter of anguish,” Ramesh wrote in an article published on X.
“But to those who are vulnerable, THAT Washing Machine will always prove more attractive than ideological commitment or personal loyalties,” he went on to say.
How Chavan’s Entry Into BJP Benefits Saffron Camp?
Chavan is from Nanded, a district in Marathwada. His father, Late Shankarrao Chavan, was also the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
He resigned as chief minister in 2010 amid allegations of involvement in Mumbai’s Adarsh housing scam. He was also the state Congress chief from 2014 to 2019.
Devendra Fadnavis stated that with Chavan’s entry into the saffron camp, the party will gain strength in Maharashtra, particularly in the Marathwada region.
“Ashok Chavan is a seasoned, senior, and knowledgeable leader. He has been an important member of the Lok Sabha and the state Legislative Assembly. Devendra Fadnavis stated that Chavan had served as Maharashtra’s chief minister twice.