The Congress on Friday compared the BJP with the D-company that once ruled the Mumbai underworld, alleging a massive scam worth Rs 10,000 crore in road infrastructure projects in poll-bound Maharashtra.

“When we were young we would hear about the D-Company, that it extorts, kidnaps, issues threats. Now there is a new company, the B-Company, the BJP which under Narendra Modi and Amit Shah is looting Maharashtra,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said addressing a news conference in Delhi.

He alleged that 13 per cent of the total funds generated through the sale of electoral bonds came from Maharashtra; “Rs 10,0000 crore of taxpayers’ money were given to select companies by one hand and took it back with the other through the electoral bonds,” Khera alleged.

Sourced by the Correspondent.

When the Supreme Court struck down the electoral bond scheme, it had mentioned that it raises the question of quid pro quos from those who bought the bonds.

The road infrastructure projects where Khera alleged wrongdoing are the Pune Ring Road E1, Pune Ring Road E3, Pune Ring Road W1, Pune Ring Road W2, Pune Ring Road W3, Pune Ring Road W4, MMC1 and MMC9.

“The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation changed the pre-qualification criteria for infrastructure projects. MSRDC’s own guideline says one company cannot be awarded more than two projects. Here eight projects were distributed among two companies,” Khera claimed. “The cost of construction of road per kilometre has been doubled. What is so special about these projects? How can it be doubled?”

He said while only 10 per cent of the construction involved digging tunnels, the projects were named as tunnel projects to favour some companies.

Sourced by the Correspondent.

The fresh attack from the Congress against the BJP on infrastructure-related projects comes at a time the state is heading towards an electoral battle with sharply divided camps.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the Mahavikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Maratha veteran Sharad Pawar-led faction of his Nationalist Congress Party trumped the rivals BJP, chief minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

Both the factions headed by Shinde and Ajit Pawar were handed the original symbols of the two parties just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The delayed Assembly election is a prestige battle for both sides. Having snatched victory in Haryana, where it had lost ground in the Lok Sabha polls held this summer, the BJP and its allies would like a repeat in Maharashtra too.

The BJP was identified as the single largest beneficiary of the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme, followed by the Trinamul Congress.

The Supreme Court in April had called the scheme unconstitutional and ordered that data about the donors, the receivers and the amount paid to be made public.

“They [Mahayuti] came to power using corrupt means and while running the government too they continued to indulge in corruption,” Khera said, alleging rules were tweaked in favour of two companies for road infrastructure projects.

“Thieves dig tunnels to get into and rob banks, often with the help of the guards. Something similar has happened in Maharashtra under the Mahayuti government, a government-sponsored massive scam of Rs 10,000crore,” said Khera.

“The brazenness with which a government can loot its people has not been seen in the last 75 -76 years. I hold everyone responsible. The CAG, the media, us the people [for this scam].”

He said the impunity with which the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra changed rules for infrastructure projects was unprecedented.

“There was no shame, no checks and balances, no fear. This happens when you are confident that no one is watching and even if they are watching, they can do nothing about it,” Khera said.

Khera said this was a wake-up call for the CAG, the media, the courts and also the voters of Maharashtra.

“When the Congress comes to power in Maharashtra, no one involved in the scam whether sitting in Delhi or in Mumbai’s Mantralaya will be spared,” Khera said.

The Congress asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Nitin Gadkari would be made answerable on “the electoral bonds scam which duped the people of Maharashtra of thousands of crores”.