Mobile Scam: NCP leader Dhananjay Munde accuses BJP minister Pankaja Munde of committing ₹65 crore scam

The leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, Dhananjay Munde accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Pankaja Munde of committing a scam in mobile phone purchase. 

Pankaja Munde, who is also the Maharashtra Minister of Rural Development, bought 1.20 lakh Panasonic Eluga I7 mobile phones for nearly 85,452 Anganwadi centres spread across 30 districts in the state. Online, the Panasonic Eluga I7 is priced at ₹6,000 minimum. 

However, the NCP leader alleged that the state Minister of Women and Child Welfare bloated the bill to ₹8,777 for each handset. Dhananjay Munde, a cousin to the accused BJP minister, claimed that there was an attempt to buy the mobile phones earlier this year. However, the same was stopped after the NCP leader expressed doubts. 

Earlier, nearly 1.20 lakh phones of the same specification were to be purchased for ₹46 crore. Now, the purchase of the mobile phones has been approved ahead of the upcoming general elections and the price has increased to ₹106 crore,” asserted Dhananjay Munde while addressing a press conference. 

Dhananjay Munde further pointed out that the mobile phones were purchased from a Bangalore-based M/s Systech IT Solution Pvt Lt. However, its postal address was not mentioned in the documents. Munde also stated that there is a scam of ₹65 crore in this purchase. 

Labelling Devendra Fadnavis as a “clean-chit-giving” Chief Minister, Dhananjay Munde said that the CM has failed to investigate any scam exposed by the opposition. 

If such a large order is given to a company, the discount can be obtained. Why has the government agreed to this purchase at such a high price while the same phone can be bought at ₹6,499? This purchase should be probed,” demanded the NCP leader. 

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The opposition leader further accused M/s Systech IT Solution Pvt Lt of selling unsold stock to the government. The Panasonic Eluga I7 was launched in April 2018. However, its production has been stopped and is only available online for buying.