Sharad Pawar Blames Administrative Setup For Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Controversy

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday blamed the administrative set-up for the trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar controversy and said that earlier, there was a dialogue with the administration, but nowadays only directions are given.

"In this country, three states were famous for their good administration: Gujarat, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu. Earlier, we too were good. We had a good dialogue with the administration. But nowadays, this dialogue is missing. There are only directions that can be seen these days," Sharad Pawar told reporters.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Pune initiated an inquiry against Dilip Khedkar, father of Puja Khedkar, to investigate the unaccounted wealth owned by the family.

IAS Puja Khedkar, who secured an All India rank of 821 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, has been accused of abusing her authority.

The complaint against her father, Dilip Khedkar, was made a few months ago.

After Puja Khedkar's issue has come to the fore, the complainant has approached Pune ACB again. Action has been initiated on the complaint.

ACB SP Atul Tambe said that a detailed report of the investigation has been drafted and has been sent to the HQ for further action. He said that the name of the complainant cannot be disclosed as it is confidential.

"There was a complaint against Dilip Khedkar with ACB a few months ago. We have drafted a detailed report of our investigation and complaint. It has been sent to the HQ for further action. The name of the complainant cannot be disclosed as it is confidential," Mr Tambe said.

Earlier, Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar raised questions about Khedkar's appointment, alleging that she did not fall under the OBC non-creamy layer as her father had assets worth Rs 40 crore.

"As per the rules, only those who come under the OBC non-creme layer category whose parents have under Rs 8 lakh per annum of income, but their income shows that it is Rs 40 crore. Her parents contested the recent Lok Sabha polls and all the property details are there in the affidavit," he said.

Mr Kumbar also claimed that based on the election affidavits filed by Dilip Khedkar in the Lok Sabha elections, the total assets amount to Rs 40 crore. "Her father, Dilip Khedkar, in his Lok Sabha polls affidavit showed a conservative estimated wealth of Rs 40 crores and an annual income of Rs 49 lakh. The information is in the public domain. Based on the election affidavit filed by her father in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the total assets of Khedkar's father amount to Rs. 40 crore," he claimed.

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