PUNE: Problems may increase for Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar because serious allegations have been levelled against him in the book ‘Madam Commissioner’ written by former police commissioner of Pune Meera Borwankar. An explosive revelation has been made in the book that a conspiracy had been hatched by the then guardian minister of Pune to hand over government land to a private individual. Borwankar says that the guardian minister was very keen that the government land should be auctioned and handed over to a private person. This allegation is likely to trigger a new controversy.
Borwankar states in the book that after assuming charge as city police chief, she took a review of the crime scene in the city. She also met many officials. I received a call from the divisional commissioner. He told me that the guardian minister was asking about me and asked me to meet him. The divisional commissioner informed me that a discussion regarding land at Yerawada would take place. I met the guardian minister at the divisional commissioner’s office. The minister had a map of the Yerawada police station, he said.
The minister said in the meeting that the auction of the concerned land had taken place and asked me to complete the land transfer process with the person who had bid for the maximum price. However, I told him that Yerawada is a central place and the police would never get such land again. I said that the land would be required for setting up an office and staff quarters. I also told him that since I had just taken charge, I would be accused of giving government land to a private person. But the minister refused to listen and insisted that the land should be auctioned. Later, I refused to obey his instructions and the minister threw the map on the table, Borwankar states in the book.
Meanwhile, the minister used some words about Home Minister RR Patil which I cannot even write. I saluted him and left. However, the private person who was given the land, was made an accused by the CBI in the 2G scam. RR Patil supported me but it could be seen that he was under the pressure of the guardian minister. Borwankar has also claimed in the book that a senior official had told her that nobody had the guts to say no to Dada. Borwankar had taken charge as Pune’s police commissioner in 2010. Although there is no mention in the book, Ajit Pawar was the guardian minister of Pune.
However, Ajit Pawar has refuted the allegations made by Meera Borwankar. The ministers don’t have the right to carry out an auction of government land and land is auctioned only after approval from the ministry, Pawar said. “I was strongly opposed to the auction. The guardian minister of a district does not have the right to carry out an auction. When a proposal is received from the revenue department about the auction of a land, a decision is taken in the meeting of ministers,” Pawar said.
