Fadnavis govt goes into damage control mode as land deal is scrapped, trouble still mounts for Ajit Pawar

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has been rooting for his resignation or dismissal.

Mumbai: In a damage-control exercise, the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maha Yuti government on Maharashtra on Friday scrapped the controversial illegal land deal in Pune involving Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar even as troubles continue to mount for the Deputy Chief Minister with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi rooting for his resignation or dismissal. 

“The land deal has been scrapped…all the transactions have been cancelled,” Ajit, who is the NCP President, told reporters hours after he met Fadnavis, who too has come under fire from the opposition parties.

Besides, he reiterated that he always goes by the rules and his 35-year-old career has never flouted it. 

“If anyone from my family or close to me tries to do something wrong, I will never support it. I have gathered all the information about the case. I called the Chief Minister  and told him that he can order a probe,” he said. 

“A committee has been set up today for a probe into the allegations in the concerned case. The report will be submitted in one month. I order all the officers under me that even if someone using my name puts pressure to do any work or transaction, they should not come under any pressure and should not be involved in any malpractice. There is no transaction in the related case as yet. FIR has also been registered in the said case,” the Deputy CM said. 

"Who had put pressure on officers, who were involved, who had carried out the transaction, everything will be investigated,” he said.

Pawar, however, seemed to take a U-turn on his statement that when he had got the wind of it he advised that all rules need to be followed. "What has happened was not in my knowledge," he said. 

In a related development, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the Maha Yuti of engaging in “zameen chori” after forming the government through “vote-chori” and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. 

On the other hand, the three-member committee formed by the government to investigate the issue has been expanded with six members.

Besides, the Economic Offences Wing of the Pune police has taken over the investigations from the Bavdhan Police Station, which has registered an FIR following instructions from the Maharashtra government. 

It is alleged that 40 acres of Mahar Watan land, denoting hereditary landholding to Mahar (Scheduled Caste) community, in Pune's upmarket Mundhwa area off the Koregaon Park in Pune, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, represented by its partner Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, for Rs 300 crore, and the stamp duty on it was waived. The market value of the property is said to be Rs 1,800 crore. 

Six member committee appointed 

Meanwhile, widening the scope of investigations, the State government expanded the three-member committee to a six-member committee which would be headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue, Stamp Duty and Registration. The five other members are Divisional Commissioner (Pune), District Collector (Pune), Settlement Commissioner and Director of Land Records (Pune) and Inspector General of Land Records (Pune), Joint Secretary (Revenue and Forest). 

EOW takes over probe 

Meanwhile, the Economic Offences Wing of the Pune police has taken over the investigations from the Bavdhan Police Station, which has registered an FIR following instructions from the Maharashtra government. 

The FIR names nine persons including Pune City’s Tehsildar Suryakant Yeole, Dhananjay Patil, Sheetal Tejwani among others. 

“An FIR has been registered. The EOW has taken over the investigations,” Pune Police chief Amitesh Kumar told reporters. However, he refused to comment on the investigations. “The documents and papers related to the transactions are being examined…based on that only we will chart the course of investigations…only after that we would be able to comment more,” he said.  The FIR was lodged by Pune's Joint District Registrar Santosh Hingane. 

Police said the FIR has been lodged under cheating and criminal breach of trust provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Sections 316(5), 318(2), and 3(5), along with Section 59 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act.

Rahul questions silence of PM

Spearheading the I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc charge on the alleged land-grabbing incident involving Ajit’s son Parth, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

The Congress leader alleged that government land worth Rs 1,800 crore which was reserved for Dalits,  was sold to a firm, linked to a minister's son, for a mere Rs 300 crore with a stamp duty waiver. 

In a post on X, Gandhi hit out at the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maha Yuti government and said: “This is 'land theft' by that government, which itself was formed through 'vote theft'. They know that no matter how much they loot, they will return to power by stealing votes again.No regard for democracy, nor for the public, nor for the rights of Dalits.”

“Modi ji, your silence speaks volumes. Are you remaining silent because your government is propped up by those very looters who usurp the rights of Dalits and the deprived?” Gandhi  said, targeting the Prime Minister.