Vaghela lands in a Rs 1,700 crore scam

Looks like more skeletons are tumbling out of the UPA’s closet. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against former Union Textile Minister Shankarsinh Vaghela and six others for selling prime property in Mumbai allegedly at throwaway prices to a private company, causing a loss of Rs 1,700 crore to the exchequer. Others named in the FIR over the sale of land in Parel include Ramachandran Pillai, the then chairman and managing director of National Textile Corporation.

The country’s premier investigation agency has already begun searches at multiple locations in four cities—New Delhi, Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Kolkata—including the residence of Vaghela and others. The FIR was registered following a year-long preliminary inquiry into the matter. Vaghela, a senior Congress leader, is the Leader of the Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly and also a former Chief Minister of the western Indian state.

CBIFIRformer Union Textile MinisterShankarsinh Vaghela