Like the BJP/NDA government at the Centre, nine months into its first term the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, led by the previously unknown Devendra Fadnavis, is mired in corruption scandals. The Maharashtra legislative council has asked women and child welfare minister Pankaja Munde to provide a written explanation for orally ordering supplies (books, food) valued at Rs.206 crore for children in the state’s 88,272 anganwadis (nutrition centres for infants and lactating mothers).

On June 24, Congress leader Sachin Sawant filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) alleging that Munde had violated several official rules of procurement by allotting 24 contracts valued at a massive Rs.206 crore on one day through 24 government resolutions. According to Sawant, government rules of business clearly stipulate that all purchases above Rs.3 lakh have to be made after calling e-tenders.   

According to the complaint, the Suryakanta Mahila Audyogik Sahakari Sansthan, a Sindhudurg-based women’s organisation, was orally awarded a contract valued at Rs.144 crore in a single day for supply of substandard chikki, and an order for students’ workbooks valued at Rs.5.6 crore was given to a Navi Mumbai-based firm for which a government cheque was issued to its proprietor in his name. Munde (36) — daughter of the late Maharashtra BJP chief Gopinath Munde and niece of the late Pramod Mahajan, who played a major role in the BJP’s evolution into a major party which was voted to power in New Delhi in 1999 — is also accused of giving approval for the purchase of 15,426 water filters from a Nashik-based company at Rs.5,200 per unit, as against the market price of Rs.4,500.

These charges against Munde — projected as a new progressive young face of the BJP in Maharashtra — have severely dented the image of the Fadnavis government because a few days later, Maharashtra’s education minister Vinod Tawde was charged with having arbitrarily awarded a contract valued at Rs.191 crore for fire extinguishers to be installed in government schools.

Ironically in his pre-election campaign, Fadnavis, who himself was excoriated on television news channels for delaying the departure of an Air India flight to the US and practicing ‘VIP culture’, had promised “transparency and zero tolerance” if elected.

“Over the past year since the BJP-Shiv Sena assumed office, there have been numerous irregularities, especially in the children’s ministries, which is the unkindest cut of all,” says a disillusioned educationist who declined to be identified.

Moreover, shortly after the new-look government was sworn into power in October 2014, Fadnavis assured the Maharashtra legislative assembly that his government would clear prosecution in all pending corruption cases. However, Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) data indicates that 381 cases against government officials are awaiting the administration’s approval for prosecution as required under Article 311 of the Constitution, and several other legislation enacted to protect government employees in the discharge of their duties.

Unfortunately, enacting legislation to protect most vulnerable infants and children seems to be a distant priority of governments at the Centre and in the states.

Bharati Thakore (Mumbai)