Mumbai: The Congress party has demanded the sacking of state women and child development minister Pankaja Munde, alleging that she tweaked a tender worth Rs 6,300 crore to favour big players and industrialists in 2016. The tender was issued by her ministry for supplying the take home ration (THR) as supplementary nutrition at daycare centres. Congress party general secretary Sachin Sawant demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the contract. The Opposition Leader of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde also alleged that there was a huge scam in awarding the contract.
Mr Sawant alleged that Mafiyaraj had taken place in the W&C department. The order of apex court had maligned the image of the state government.
He said, “A few mafiyas’ interests have been ensured in this THR, while all women’s self-help groups (SHGs) have been eradicated by the W&C department.”
The Congress general secretary said that it was now clear that there was a scam in the THR and hence a CBI probe should be ordered. The minister should be sacked from the cabinet, he demanded.
Mr Munde said that when he exposed corruption in the THR, W&C development minister Pankaja Munde called it a baseless allegation. Would she now say the same about the Supreme Court’ decision regarding the THR scam, he questioned.
The NCP leader also claimed that the issues that had been raised by him in the nutrition diet had been taken into consideration by the apex court. However, the government denied all his charges, he claimed.
Mr Sawant said that the THR was the biggest scam in the state. The scheme was implemented allegedly to provide benefits to three institutions.
The Asian Age tried to contact Pankaja Munde, but she did not respond. While BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said that she would give a statement over this issue, but she didn’t comment on the same till the time of going to the press.
