Gadkari slams extortionist politicos

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has accused Marathwada public representatives (politicians) of major malpractices in connection with the road work, which creates massive hurdles for the development. Gadkari has accused politicians of demanding a percentage cut off from contractors to seal the road deals. Addressing the politicians in a meeting at Aurangabad, Gadkari said that such malpractices lead to delay in road work. While recalling an incident, Gadkari claimed that a local politician from Osmanabad district had demanded a 2 percent cut off (Rs 2 cr) of a total project cost worth Rs 100 crore from a contractor for road construction. He also claimed that the politician was not allowing to undertake the work until he was given his share. Interestingly, eight days before Gadkari’s statement, two BJP leaders were lambasting each other over percentage cut off from road related works. Recently, Member of Parliament Pratap Patil Chikhlikar had accused legislator from Gangapur constituency Prashant Bamb a serial blackmailer. The two were at loggerhead over the construction of controversial Penur-Shevdi-Sonkhed Road in Nanded district. Bamb had filed a complaint over irregularities of this road construction. Since no action was taken on his complaint, a petition was filed at Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court. The court then ordered the local police to register a criminal case, following which Bamb was accused of being a blackmailer by Chikhlikar.

In a counter attack on Chikhlikar, Bamb said that they were not gangsters to divide and rule the jurisdiction in an extortion bid. He further added that Chikhlikar should focus on the development of his constituency.