Mumbai:
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has blamed his successor Ashok Chavan for clearing the Adarsh files. Vilasrao Deshmukh deposed before the Commission for the second day today.
Vilasrao Deshmukh took questions on the Letter of intent that was issued during his tenure. He also had to explain how a public road width was reduced and how Adarsh included civilians in cooperative housing society meant for military officers. Refusing to accept any responsibility for the Adarsh Housing scam, Mr Deshmukh reiterated before the judicial commission that the buck stopped at the door of the Revenue Minister Congress leader Ashok Chavan. Mr Chavan, who succeeded Vilasrao Deshmukh as Chief Minister, had to step down in 2010 after the Adarsh scam was exposed.
Documents show when Vilasrao Deshmukh was Chief Minister a letter of intent was issued for the project. Land was earmarked for it by reducing a public road and building rights from an adjoining bus depot was transferred to Adarsh Society during his tenure.
When Mr Deshmukh was asked about the Letter of Intent that was issued to Adarsh, he said "The Collector has to go into the details about the membership and make final report. Applications are scrutinized by the Collector who forwarded it to the Revenue Department."
He added "I do not know when the exact date as to when the final decision of issuance of Letter of Intent (LoI) to Adarsh CHS was taken. The file was lying in my office and I do not remember as to when I signed the said file. This note is approved and signed by me. It is also approved and signed by the revenue Minister Shri Ashok Chavan."
Mr Deshmukh chose to pin down the blame on the Revenue department headed by Ashok Chavan by saying "It was not brought to my notice at the time of issuing LoI that there was no survey number given to the land in question and that no property card in respect of the same had been issued."
Vilasrao Deshmukh was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from October 18, 1999 to January 16, 2003 and November 1, 2004 to December 4, 2008. He is the second former Chief Minister after Sushil Kumar Shinde to appear before the commission. While Mr Shinde chose to blame bureaucrats for the mess Mr Deshmukh chose to shift the blame to Ashok Chavan and bureaucrats.
When Vilasrao Deshmukh's attention was drawn to a letter that former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani had written to him stating that an agreement had been reached between the Revenue Minister Ashok Chavan and the society to include civilian members Mr Deshmukh said "This letter was brought to my notice and therefore I have marked to the Revenue Department." He added that he did not get a response from the Revenue department and when he signed the file he was under the impression that the society was meant for military officers.
Vilasrao Deshmukh was also asked if he knew that the land on which Adarsh CHS came up had been in the possession of the army for the last three decades. He told the commission "Since this matter was concerning the Revenue Department I marked the letter to the Revenue Minister. The Revenue Minister did not get back to me on the issue raised in this letter."
When questions were raised on the proposal to delete the reservation of land kept for road widening Mr Deshmukh chose to put the blame on other ministers and bureaucrats. He said, "So far as environment clearance was concerned, nobody advised me on that issue. So far as proposed reduction of the width of the said road was concerned, nobody advised me on that issue. Nobody advised me that for conversion of the use from road to residence, MoEF clearance was required."
But when the Defence lawyer Dhiren Shah questioned Mr Deshmukh he said "Generally the entire file with all records and proceedings and the final noting comes to the Chief Minister for approval".
Mr Deshmukh also admitted that he had met former Congress MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and some other members in connection with the Adarsh file. "Kanhaiyalal Gidwani never informed me that he and his family members were members of Adarsh CHS," he told the commission.
Choosing to blame bureaucrats when the commission asked him whether he would take responsibility as a minister, Mr Deshmukh replied "As per rules, the duty of the secretary is defined. He has to advise the ministers in proper perspective and the ministers go by his advice".
Mr Deshmukh also added that he was not were that bureaucrats who were responsible for clearing files for Adarsh had flats, or their relatives had flats in the building.
With Vilasrao Deshmukh clearly putting the onus on Ashok Chavan, the focus now shifts to Mr Chavan who is the only former chief minister to be made an accused by the CBI in the Adarsh case and is scheduled to appear before the commission on Saturday.