Adarsh controversy result of rivalry between Shinde, AK Antony, says society

Mumbai: Pointing out to the infighting between the senior congress leaders, the controversial Adarsh society in South Mumbai has on Saturday alleged that the society was targeted because of the rivalry between the former union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former union defence minister AK Anthony. Claiming that they were victims of political rivalry and there was nothing illegal about society, the members demanded that the electricity and water supply to the building should be restored.

“Adarsh society was targeted because of the enmity between the former union minister Sushilkumar Shinde and former union defence minister AK Anthony. Since Shinde gave approval to the society when he was the chief minister of Maharashtra, his rival and former union defence minister AK Anthony targeted us,” said RC Thakur, secretary of the Adarsh society while addressing the media on Saturday afternoon.

The society has also leveled allegations against the former army chief Gen VK Singh, who is now the union state minister for External affairs, for misleading then union defence minister AK Anthony. “In spite of subordinate formations, Defence Estates officer’s reports, a one man inquiry by a colonel ordered by Army headquarters and the opinion of then Additional Solicitor General of India Darius Khambata informing Army headquarters that land does not belong to the Defence, Gen VK Singh brushed aside all the facts and wrote to the Ministry of Defence in October 2010 to order an inquiry by the CBI resulting in the case against Adarsh,” said Brig TK Sinha (retired), chairman of the Adarsh society.

Sinha further said that the Defence Ministry does not have any records to prove that the title of the land belongs to them. “The information sought under the Right to Information Act has revealed that the Defence Ministry has no information or records available with them with regards to the ownership of the plot on which the Adarsh society has been built,” explained Shinha adding that the land belongs to the Maharashtra government. The society made all the documents public on Saturday to back their claims that the land does not belong to the defence ministry.

The two-member commission headed by retired High Court judge JA Patil in its report to Maharashtra government had stated that the land is owned by the state government and there was no plan whatsoever to construct any building for housing war veterans or Kargil widows. It also charged various politicians, including those from the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), as well as top bureaucrats, for transgressing rules and regulations to get requisite clearances.

It indicted several politicians including four former Chief Ministers — Ashok Chavan, late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivajirao Nilangekar Patil — for “blatant violations” of statutory provisions. The commission has described the scam as reeking of “greed, nepotism and favouritism” by those in authority who twisted laws, setting “a bad precedent”.

Now, the society has demanded that it should be given water and electricity supply and be allowed to occupy the building. “Since the things are clear about the title of the land, the government should allow us to occupy the building and provide us water and electricity supply. Also, the MMRDA, the planning authority, has an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court stated that there is no illegality in the building. Still, if government authorities want, it can check whether there is any illegality such as unauthorised construction or environment clearance in the building and can take action accordingly. We have no problem in that,” added Sinha.

The MMRDA revoked the building’s OC on 30 October, 2010. Subsequently, BEST disconnected the electricity supply on 31 October, 2010, and civic body discontinued the water supply on 2 November, 2010.