Prakash Mehta second since Khadse to be dropped from Fadnavis cabinet after corruption allegations

Mehta 2nd cabinet member after Khadse to be dropped after corruption allegations; CM says no graft or non-performance, reshuffle to give chance to new faces

Prakash Mehta, now a former state housing minister, was on Sunday finally dropped from the state cabinet, following a Lokayukta report on allegations of him illegally allocating extra building rights in Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects.

Prakash Mehta

After Sunday, Mehta became the second minister from the Devendra Fadnavis government to go out after corruption charges, since former revenue minister Eknath Khadse’s ouster in 2016.

Mehta was among the six minsters who were dropped as chief minister (CM) Fadnavis inducted 13 new ministers ahead of the Assembly polls, expected to be held in September-October.

In the probe conducted by the Lokayukta into allegations against Mehta in the SRA project at MP Mills in Tardeo, he was found guilty of not acting fairly and following his duty as minister.

Mehta faced allegations of violating development control rules by allowing extra building rights to a developer and overruling the housing department’s remarks that said it was against the rules. Mehta had remarked on the file that “CM has been informed about the decision.”

The CM, however, denied any knowledge of such decision.

In another controversial allotment, Mehta was accused of using his discretionary powers as housing department head to hand over a private developer a plot measuring 18, 902 square metre in Ghatkopar. The plot was owned by government housing agency Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The minister was accused of changing his wife’s name to evade action in a case registered under the Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practice (MRTP) Act, included his son’s name in a slum redevelopment scheme revamped by a company. Mehta had vehemently denied all allegations of wrongdoing, but the Opposition was baying for his blood.

The Lokayukta report established that as the project was given a stay after the controversy erupted, the builder did not get any benefit from the decision.

Fadnavis had announced a probe in August 2017, after the issue was raised in the state legislature and the opposition alleged impropriety by the minister.

Talking about the ouster of Mehta, CM Fadnavis on Sunday said that the report and action-taken report in the Lokayukta probe will be tabled in both houses during the monsoon session.

He said the truth will come out (in MP Mills case) once the report was made public.

“The ministers were not dropped for non- performance or corruption charges. The reshuffle has been initiated to give opportunities to new faces and to create a regional balance,”Fadnavis insisted.

Mehta had claimed he was innocent in both cases. In the Lokayukta probe, he said last week that there wasn’t any point in talking about speculations as the report has not been made public.

Mehta was in the eye of a storm since the controversies erupted two years ago. Speculations that Mehta was to be sacked from the cabinet were rife since then.

According to BJP insiders, the party leadership had given a green light to chief minister Fadnavis for his replacement. It is also believed that CM Fadnavis was not very happy with the performance of the six-term MLA from Ghatkopar East, amid the lagging housing schemes for Mumbai and the state.

“Redevelopment of cessed buildings, Dharavi slums and other housing projects were not shaping up as expected. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was monitored by the chief minister’s office after the housing department failed to get the expected initial results,” said a BJP minister.

Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that Mehta was dropped after he expressed his wish for organisational responsibility.

Besides Mehta, other ministers, including Raje Ambarishrao Atram, Praveen Pote Patil, Rajkumar Badole were dropped reportedly owing to unsatisfactory performances.

Khadse was the first minister from the Fadnavis cabinet to get the boot in June 2016 , following a controversy over the deal of a Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)-owned land by his relatives. He was facing charges of impropriety and conflict of interest.

Khadse unhappy about being left out

Khadse, who was sacked in June 2016 on corruption charges, did not get a cabinet berth in the reshuffle that happened on Sunday.

He expressed his discontent over ‘outsiders’ getting inducted into the cabinet. “There are legislators who have been not considered for the cabinet berth despite having won four-five terms, but I think it’s a party decision and one should not complain about it. I have no grudges about having not inducted in cabinet again,” he said.

Khadse, however, said that he was a loyal party worker and remained in the BJP.