'Pawar used tainted Balwa's airplane'

Opposition leader in Maharashtra Assembly Eknath Khadse alleged on Thursday that NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former aviation minister Praful Patel and several other NCP leaders used tainted city builder Shahid Balwa's airplane for travelling to national and international destinations. HT reports.

Opposition leader in Maharashtra Assembly Eknath Khadse alleged on Thursday that NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former aviation minister Praful Patel and several other NCP leaders used tainted city builder Shahid Balwa's airplane for travelling to national and international destinations.

He also alleged that Balwa and Vinod Goenka, accompanied the leaders on certain trips. Khadse said that Pawar also took his wife Pratibha, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar, former BCCI chief I S Bindra to Dubai in Balwa's craft. The travel happned on February 8, 2010.

Other trips were domestic and took place between January and May 2010. Patel and his family members used Balwa's services eight times during that period. Pawar used it twice.

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Khadse demanded in the legislative assembly to know if these politicians paid Balwa for the aviation service. "This is serious because the people they travelled with are criminals and enjoy underworld patronage."

Home Minister and Pawar's protege R R Patil is expected reply to these charge anytime soon.