New Delhi, Oct 17: Striking again at political morality, Arvind Kejriwal today targeted BJP President Nitin Gadkari, accusing him of receiving personal favours by getting around 100 acres of agriculture land in Maharashtra after the Congress-NCP government there bent rules.
Utilising a much-hyped press conference here to "expose" Gadkari, the activist-turned-politician alleged that all parties were involved in a cosy relationship of "looting" the country even though they raise issues against each other just for the sake of it.
Specifically, Kejriwal alleged a quid pro quo between BJP and Congress-NCP government of Maharashtra, saying Gadkari and his party maintained "silence" over various issues of corruption like the irrigation scam surrounding the Maharashtra government. He said that in the Irrigation Scam, Ajit Pawar gave agricultural land in Maharashtra to Gadkari.
Kejriwal alleged that Nitin Gadkari's business is at the cost of farmers' lives in Maharashtra.
He added that Gadkari didn't just take away their land, but also water. The water has been diverted to big corporations by Ajit Pawar.
Kejriwal said that "Nitin Gadkari has a huge business empire. We want to know if his interests as a businessman are clashing with that of the farmers. Is it at the cost of the farmers, who are committing suicide?"
Aided by lawyer Prashant Bhushan and another IAC activist from Maharashtra Anjali Damania, Kejriwal alleged that rules were bent by the Maharashtra government, particularly scam-tainted former Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar to benefit Gadkari.
He claimed that vast tracts of land were acquired from farmers for building a dam in Umred taluka in Nagpur district and excess land that should have been returned to the farmers was given to Gadkari and his company following Ajit Pawar's intervention.
