Uddhav Rakes up Bangaru Laxman Bribe Issue, Slams BJP Over Transparency

Mumbai: Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday raked up the 2001 "bribery" episode involving then BJP president late Bangaru Laxman to attack the estranged ally which has made "transparency" as its main plank for the BMC polls.

Addressing a poll rally in suburban Bhandup, Uddhav said, "The party whose chief was caught while accepting bribe should not demand transparency in governance from the Sena.

"(Bangaru) Laxman's acceptance of bribery is not just one case of non-transparent governance. There is a proposal to deploy power-generation machinery at the Madhya-Vaitarna dam."

Laxman was caught on camera taking bribe of Rs 1 lakh to push a fictitious defence deal. He was convicted by a CBI court in April 2012 and sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

He died in Hyderabad in March 2014.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured of clearing the proposal, but till today, there has been no development on the same. Similarly, the Centre has not yet given its green signal for the coastal road. Still, the same BJP taunts Shiv Sena for non-transparency in BMC," said Uddhav.

The 227-seat BMC will go to polls on February 21.

The Sena chief also mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his style of delivering speeches and asked people that if they happen to hear words like "Mitron", and "Bhayion aur Beheno", then they should not believe in it.

"He (Modi) made tall claims during the 2014 Lok Sabha election, but he could deliver nothing," claimed Uddhav.

Taking on BJP over demonetisation of higher vale currency notes, the Sena chief said, "The decision has left many people jobless and created a law and order situation in Aurangabad.

This is sheer pick-pocketing".

"We saw no rich person in the (bank) queue; whereas the poor were forced to stand in queue and they had to deposit their own money into banks," he added.

"The transparency has to be there from top to bottom. Where is the transparency in state Cabinet meetings?" questioned Thackeray, whose party shares power with BJP in Maharashtra.

"There should be transparency in the way state Cabinet meeting is held. The Minister of States should be allowed to sit along with the Leader of Opposition and journalists in the Cabinet meetings. Then there will no scams like 'chikki, and fake degree controversies," he added.