New Delhi: In the lead-up to Maharashtra assembly elections, Congress has levelled serious corruption allegations against the BJP-led Mahayuti government in the state. The party has accused the administration of receiving kickbacks amounting to Rs.10,000 crore in the allocation of road project tenders.
At a press conference, Pawan Khera, Congress spokesperson, said the Maharashtra government manipulated pre-qualification criteria, enabling only two companies to secure the contracts. Khera described this as a big fraud against Maharashtra’s taxpayers.
According to Khera, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) guidelines stipulated that a single company could be awarded only two projects. However, in this case, the two companies in question were each allotted four projects. He also highlighted that the cost per kilometre for these road projects was nearly double the benchmark set by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
“The tunnelling-experience clause was deliberately included in the tender conditions to exclude other eligible bidders, ensuring that only the chosen companies could participate,” Khera alleged. He further noted that tunnelling was not a major component of the projects, raising questions about the clause’s necessity.
Khera revealed that while the actual construction cost should have been around Rs.10,087 crore, the Maharashtra government inflated the price to Rs.20,990 crore, leading to a massive loss of public funds. He labelled the act as “robbery” and accused the ruling party of extorting public money, comparing the BJP to the infamous D-Company and calling them the new “B-Company.”
Khera promised that if the Congress-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is elected, it will investigate these projects thoroughly and hold those responsible accountable.
He provided a detailed timeline of the tender process, noting that in April 2023, MSRDC invited Requests for Qualification (RFQ) for the Pune Ring Road project, which was categorized as a tunnel project. Despite minimal tunnelling being required, the tender conditions were allegedly manipulated to favour certain firms.
In December 2023, 18 out of 28 firms that submitted RFQ applications were shortlisted for the next stage, including a company that had made a political donation via electoral bonds in July 2023. Khera alleged that despite receiving higher-than-estimated bids in April 2024, MSRDC awarded the contracts without reissuing the tender.
With Maharashtra set to vote for a new assembly on November 20, these allegations of corruption could play a pivotal role in shaping the election campaign.
