Ashok Chavan Resignation Accepted | Adarsh Housing Society Scam

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Ashok Chavan Resignation Accepted | Adarsh Housing Society Scam

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has accepted Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan’s resignation over the Adarsh Housing Society scam.

Action has come swiftly after the three-day hiatus provided by the Barack Obama visit. Chavan had offered to resign some days ago, and an inquiry committee comprising AK Antony and Pranab Mukherjee was looking into his alleged role in the scam. Sources said Chavan’s explanation did not convince the top Congress leadership and based on the panel’s report, his resignation was accepted.

As the scam was uncovered last month, three of the Chief Minister’s relatives, including his mother-in-law, were reportedly found to have flats in the society, which was meant for war widows and veterans. All three surrendered flat ownership.

Party sources are at pains to point out that accepting the resignation does not mean that Chavan is guilty.

The next question is: Who shall step into Chavan’s shoes? Vilasrao Deshmukh, the man whom Chavan replaced, also has alleged connections with clearances for the society.
The Congress’ Maharashtra observer will be travelling to the state to discuss with MLAs who should be the next CM. Three names are doing the rounds, that of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Prithvi Raj Chavan, and Vikhe Patil.

Some reports link Shinde to the Adarsh society scam, but no direct link has emerged.

The Congress decision has come came ahead of the winter session of Parliament starting today and is obviously designed to take the sting out of a combined Opposition’s plans to put the government on the mat over the scam.

The names of several leading politicians, ex-defence chiefs and top bureaucrats have emerged in the scandal.