New Delhi:
When Arvind Kejriwal went loud and live with allegations of land grab by BJP chief Nitin Gadkari from Maharashtra's farmers, he had quoted the example of one them, Gajanan Ghadge. The farmer has now said that he was 'tutored' by an associate of Mr Kejriwal's to speak against Mr Gadkari.
Mr Kejriwal had alleged that not only was the farmer Gajanan Ghadge's land given away illegally to Mr Gadkari, but he had been threatened by Mr Gadkari's men and government officers for asking for it to be returned. India Against Corruption (IAC) had also said at the press conference that Mr Ghadge has complained to the police about this.
NDTV finally tracked down Mr Ghadge in Bela village in Nagpur district, where he completely contradicted IAC's claims about him. He said on camera that IAC member Anjali Damania had told him to speak against the BJP chief.
"Damania madam wanted me to use the word 'hadap' (grab), that Mr Gadkari has grabbed my land. In return, she promised to get my land back to me," Mr Ghadge told to NDTV.
"I just wanted my land back. The irrigation department has given the land to (Mr Gadkari's) Purti Sugar factory, she said that she will help me to get the land back, so I went with her. How can I tell that Gadkari is the culprit when he has done nothing wrong, because when they brought their plan for the sugar factory I was the up-sarpanch (deputy headman) of the village panchayat. I gave them the no-objection certificate as the farmers will be happy. Gadkari is doing it for the farmers and I am with him, earlier also I was with him, now also I am with him," Mr Ghadge said. "It is sad that politics is being player over such an important issue."
Ms Damania denied that she had in any way tried to influence Mr Ghadge to speak against Mr Gadkari. "I will never do this, it is very disgusting that Mr Ghadge is saying this," she told NDTV in Mumbai. Ms Damania also claimed that there was video proof of exactly what Mr Ghadge told her and her IAC associates when they had met last week. NDTV cannot vouch for the authenticity of these recordings.
Mr Kejriwal, in a separate interview to NDTV, said that Mr Ghadge might have been intimidated by the BJP chief.
Meanwhile at Khudsapad and Bela village, where Mr Gadkari is alleged by IAC to have grabbed farmers' land, murmurs of protest continue. 39-year-old Suraj Kamble who has been living in the village since his birth said, "Everyone came here in search of one Gajanan Ghadge. There are hundreds of people who have lost their land here". He dismissed Mr Gadkari's defence of the allegation of land grab by saying that he was running a sugarcane nursery to provide farmers with cheap saplings. "We have not benefited from the nursery. It is used to supply sugarcane to the Purti group's factory here," he told NDTV.
But for now, Mr Ghadge's claim will dent the IAC and Ms Damania's claims. Ms Damania had earlier accused Mr Gadkari of trying to get off chasing the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam by saying that he and Sharad Pawar helped each other with "work". Mr Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar had to step down as Maharashtra deputy chief minister after his central role in the scam was exposed and Mr Gadkari too was accused of being involved by IAC. But Ms Damania could not substantiate her claim and has been sued by Mr Gadkari. This new revelation is likely to hurt her and IAC, which has been questioned by many for what they call name-and-shame without having enough to back their claims.