MUMBAI, April 23: If the police needed any evidence to nail the social welfare minister, Babanrao Gholap in the Awami Bank scam, they have the break-up of the alleged kickbacks paid, down to the last detail. Of the Rs five crore siphoned out of the funds meant for the weakest sections of society, via the Awami Bank, Rs 40 lakhs were paid in kickbacks.How that amount will be recovered, of course remains to be seen.
According to the report filed by the police in the Girgaon Metropolitan Court, of the Rs 40 lakh Gholap's wife, Shashikala received Rs 17 lakh in cash, about Rs 19 lakh went to his servant, Shivaji Morade, and Rs four lakh accrued to the minister himself.
However, the inquiry into the Awami Bank scam may just be the tip of the iceberg. Gholap, who has in the past, been indicted for gambling, is also under an Income Tax probe in Nasik. The I-T department is looking into his and his wife, Shashikala's declared assets.
Sources in Nasik mention huge transactions in the bank accounts of bothGholap and his wife. Shashikala Gholap, for instance, deposited huge sums in her account in Janalaxmi Cooperative Bank, Nasik between March 1996 and August 98. In one such transaction on April 8, 1996 a sum of Rs 10 lakhs was credited by cash. In 1996-97 she has also become the owner of 36 acres of land at Nasik, for a declared value of Rs six lakh. Her other sources of income for one year include agricultural income of Rs 2.95 lakh. She is also drawing a salary as Director in Mass Plantations and her income from interest and dividends is Rs 77,426.
Sources in Nasik say she is not known as a woman of independent means of income either before or after her husband became a minister. The state's Anti-Corruption Bureau has already registered a case under sections 7,8,9, 11, 13, 14 and 15 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-B of the IPC against Gholap and his wife.
The proceedings follow from a complaint filed by a certain Milind Yavatka. Three other complaints have been filed by SanjeevChimbulkar, Janata Dal activist, who has also moved the court for Gholap's prosecution in the Awami Bank scam. It is in his complaint that the EOW has filed the incriminating report which nails the minister.
Tip of the `scamberg'; Decision soon, says Rane
Janata Dal activist Sanjeev Chimbulkar has also sought prosecution of the Minister and his cohorts in the purchase of powerlooms by the Vasantrao Naik Corporation and the Mahatama Phule Backward Class Development Corporation. The powerlooms were purchased from a Bharuch-based company, Shivangi Industries, when, allegedly the beneficiaries had not been identified. The loans were given by central bodies like the National Scheduled Tribes Finance Development Corpn, and National Backward Classes Finance Development Coprn.The sums involved, Rs 8.8 crore and Rs 4.67 crore, were sanctioned by the Central corporations and were to be disbursed through the state corporations. Though the loan schemes required the beneficiaries to shell out a smallpercentage of the seed capital, Shivangi Industries has allegedly agreed to pay those also. Nobody attributes any altruistic motives to Shivangi Industries. The Indian Express faxed a few questions to the minister on April 8 to get his version on the allegations. We followed it up with his PA on April 9. The minister has not responded to this day.
Babanrao Gholap's days in the State Cabinet are numbered if Chief Minister Narayan Rane's statement is any indication. Speaking to newspersons on the concluding day of the Budget session in the State Legislature on Friday, Rane said that the decision to oust Gholap will be taken soon. Both Houses of the Legislature witnessed chaos and walkouts on Thursday as Opposition benches demanded Gholap's resignation.Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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