Is There Really a Honeytrap Scandal in Maharashtra?

Mumbai, July 18 (NationPress) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday firmly dismissed the Opposition's allegations of a honeytrap scandal involving 72 officials and several ministers, asserting that “there is no honey and no trap”.

During an Assembly session, he challenged the opposition, specifically Congress legislator Nana Patole, to present tangible evidence to substantiate their claims against the government. He reiterated that no honeytrap scandal exists.

CM Fadnavis noted that a complaint had been lodged by a woman against a deputy collector in Nashik, but the complainant later retracted her statement.

In response to Patole's repeated mentions of a hotel owner purportedly involved in orchestrating the trap and blackmailing victims, CM Fadnavis revealed a 'relevant paper' in the House, indicating that the hotel owner in question is affiliated with the local Congress unit.

This effectively shifted the focus back to the Congress party.

CM Fadnavis asserted that Maharashtra is a cultured state and faces no imminent threat. “However, those individuals who are toxic to the environment must be managed,” he stated.

Previously, Patole had raised the honeytrap scandal issue in the state assembly on Wednesday and Thursday.

The CM's denial of the honeytrap scandal came following the Speaker's directive.

Patole highlighted the honeytrap issue targeting Maharashtra’s high-ranking officials and politicians, presenting a pen drive as evidence. He expressed his willingness to share the pen drive's contents with the government.

Patole cautioned that it could be damaging to the state if sensitive information had been compromised during the honeytrap scandal.

“Through honeytraps, critical documents of the state may fall into the hands of anti-social elements. I do not wish to slander anyone, but the government is not taking this seriously. They won’t even release a simple statement,” he remarked.

“More than 72 officials and some ministers are entangled in this honeytrap. Confidential information is being harvested by the honeytrappers. Some officials have faced blackmail and contemplated severe actions like suicide. The government remains silent on this issue, prompting me to raise it in the Legislative Assembly,” Patole added.

He voiced significant frustration over the state government's hesitance to clarify the actions taken regarding this case. He brought to the Speaker’s attention that despite his directive, the government had not made any statement on Thursday. Patole urged the Speaker to compel the government to provide immediate clarification.

NCP-SP legislator Jayant Patil remarked that the Nashik honeytrap case is serious and demanded statements from both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister regarding these incidents.