Devendra Fadnavis' TV programme is a Rs 2 crore scam, alleges Congress

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ ambitious television outreach programme, ‘Mi Mukhyamantri Boltoy’' (This is the chief minister speaking), has again run into controversy. The Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has alleged that the government is paying the private company for the talk show despite the fact that there has been no shooting of the show in the last 10 months.

The Congress alleged that this is a Rs 2 crore scam right under the nose of CM Fadnavis, and the government must explain it.

But the state government’s public relation office has denied the allegations saying that Mr Sawant’s allegations are baseless. “The allegations made by Mr Sawant are baseless and ill in content. There is no such agreement between the state government and the company. The government has cleared the bills of only those programmes which have appeared and no penny has been given without programme,” it clarified.

Mr Fadnavis had decided to come up with a television interactive show that would help inform people about various government schemes as well as answer people’s doubts over it. He used to speak directly to the gathered audience in the studio on different chosen topics. The show started on April 3 last year. In all, a total of four shows have been shot till October 10 last year.

Mr Sawant alleged that even though shooting of the show has stopped, bills are still being paid to company, Effervescent Films Private Limited. “There is a clause in the agreement between the company and the government, that even if the programme is postponed or cancelled, the company will still get the decided money and shall raise a bill on the second of every month. Almost Rs 1.97 crore has been paid to the company without reason,” he alleged. The party also claimed that Effervescent Films was just three months old when it got the tender.