Maharashtra opposition accuses Pawar of having links with Balwa
April 1st, 2011 - 4:00 pm ICT by ANI
Mumbai, Apr 1 (ANI): There was chaos in the Maharashtra Assembly on Friday after the opposition accused Union Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar of having links with DB Reality and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Usman Balwa, who is presently lodged in Tihar Jail for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.
Leader of the Opposition, Eknath Khadse, alleged that NCP leaders, including Pawar and Praful Patel travelled with Balwa to Dubai in February last year on a plane owned by the latter’s company.
Khadse from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also claimed that Pawar’s wife Pratibha, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar and his wife Varsha, Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) president I S Bindra, and ICC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Haroon Logart accompanied them to Dubai.
Shahid Balwa was arrested in February 8, for his alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam.
Swan Telecom is believed to be one of the beneficiaries in the spectrum allotted during former Telecom Minister A Raja’s tenure, who was arrested prior to Balwa and is locked in the same jail.The others arrested in connection with the case are Raja’s personal secretary RK Chandolia and former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behuria.
Raja was forced to resign from the Union Cabinet last year after the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) faulted him for undervaluing spectrum to favour companies who were largely ineligible for 2G spectrum, and added that the government had probably lost Rs.1.76 lakh crore in estimated revenue. (ANI)
- 2G scam: Shahid Balwa's brother Asif arrested - Mar 29, 2011
- 2G scam: Pawar denies reports alleging links to DB Realty - Apr 14, 2011
- 2G scam: Asif Balwa sent to 14-day judicial custody - Apr 01, 2011
- 2G scam: Judicial custody of Raja, three others extended till Mar. 31 - Mar 17, 2011
- 2G scam: Pawar denies links with Shahid Balwa - Feb 11, 2011
- 2G scam: Niira Radia appears before PAC - Apr 04, 2011
- 2G scam: CBI Director appears before PAC - Mar 10, 2011
- 2G scam: Raja remanded to CBI custody for four more days - Feb 10, 2011
- 2G scam: CBI gets transit custody of Shahid Balwa - Feb 09, 2011
- 2G scam: Ratan Tata, Radia to appear before PAC - Apr 04, 2011
- 2G scam: Raja to appear before court via video-conferencing - Mar 01, 2011
- 2G scam: Ratan Tata appears before PAC - Apr 04, 2011
- Raja, Balwa's remand extended in 2G scam - Feb 14, 2011
- 2G scam: CBI expected to call Kanimozhi for questioning - Mar 10, 2011
- 2G scam: Raja's judicial custody extended till Mar. 17 - Mar 03, 2011
Tags: agriculture minister, bharatiya janata party, chief executive officer, comptroller and auditor general, comptroller and auditor general of india, crore, haroon, leader of the opposition, maharashtra assembly, manohar, nationalist congress party, ncp, personal secretary, praful patel, punjab cricket association, raja, sharad pawar, shashank, siddharth, union cabinet