Mumbai:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that action will be taken against anybody found guilty in the Maharashtra irrigation scam, adding there should be "hard evidence" against the person.
"If someone writes somebody's name, somebody can tomorrow write my name or your name, does this mean it is confirmed? But I'll certainly look into it," Mr Chavan said.
Documents seized by income tax officers during raids in Kolhapur list bribes worth Rs. 44 crores paid against a contract worth nearly Rs. 280 crores in Maharashtra.
Across pages, a list of names is entered for bribes that have been paid. Another hand-written document shows the names of leaders, against figures that show how much they were paid and how much remains to be paid. (
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Topping the list of alleged beneficiaries is 'AP' and 'Dada' which are interchangeably used. For a total of 27.5 crores. Different amounts of money are entered for 'AP' and 'Dada'
Activist Medha Patkar, who has been demanding an inquiry into the alleged swindle, says, "Everybody knows what AP stands for. He is Ajit Pawar. The posters for him always show him as 'Dada'."
Mr Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has denied the charges.
Other entries include the BJP's former president Nitin Gadkari for an amount of RS 50 lakhs and Gopinath Munde, who is documented as having been paid Rs. 20 lakhs. Some entries say 'Gadkari' and some use the name 'Gad'.
State leaders of the BJP said the allegations are "baseless" and they need proof of the documents' veracity.