Ajit Pawar alleges betrayal by former colleague in irrigation scam probe

PUNE: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that he was “betrayed” by his former close colleague and then home minister, the late RR Patil, who initiated an open inquiry against him in the multi-crore irrigation scam. 
Pawar claimed that BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, after becoming Chief Minister in 2014, showed him a file containing Patil’s comments directing an inquiry. Addressing a rally in Tasgaon for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil, who is running against Rohit Patil (son of the late R R Patil), Pawar recounted the incident. 
“Allegations were made against me in the irrigation scam, and there were efforts to defame me. They claimed a scam of ₹70,000 crore in irrigation projects, even though total expenses, including salaries, were only around ₹43,000 crore,” Pawar stated.  
He explained that a case was deliberately built to inflate the numbers and portray it as a massive scam. 
During 1999-2009, Pawar was the Water Resources Development Minister in the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and also chaired the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, which approved irrigation projects in question.  
“A file was sent to the Home Department, led by R R Patil, where he approved an open inquiry and noted it in the file. It was a case of backstabbing from a close colleague,” he said. 
Following this, the NCP withdrew support from the Prithviraj Chavan-led government, leading to the President’s rule.  
Pawar noted, “The then Governor didn’t sign off on the file, saying it should wait for the new Chief Minister’s signature.”  
The NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, formally ended its alliance with Congress just days before the 2014 assembly elections. 
“When the Fadnavis-led government came to power, Fadnavis signed the file but called me to inform me about it. He showed me R R Patil’s signature on the file. I was deeply hurt, as Patil had been a trusted colleague,” Pawar added. 
In 2019, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) cleared Ajit Pawar of any wrongdoing in the irrigation scam, shortly after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government—comprising Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress—took office in Maharashtra. 
At the same rally, Pawar took aim at former colleague Jayant Patil in his constituency, Islampur. Pawar accused Jayant Patil of hindering the growth of other leaders in the region and undermining their political careers.  
“Jayant wants every position for himself. He’s prevented others from growing and has constantly focused on controlling Sangli and Satara,” Pawar charged, urging the public to “take this opportunity to defeat him.” 
Reflecting on his connection with R R Patil, Pawar shared, “R R was a true friend. I once publicly criticised his tobacco habit, and although he was initially offended, he later admitted, during his battle with cancer, that he should have taken my criticism positively and quit tobacco.” 
Both RR Patil’s son Rohit and the NCP candidate Sanjay Kaka Patil are locked in a battle for Tasgaon.