'Whenever there are polls, there are charges against me': Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Embroiled in a controversy of his son’s now cancelled land deal in Pune, Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar smelled a conspiracy to defame him when he pointed out that whenever there are elections in Maharashtra  allegations surface against him. 

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has been rooting for the resignation of Ajit Pawar, who holds the Finance & Planning and Excise portfolios and registration of an offence against his son Parth Pawar. 

"Earlier too, allegations of (irregularities of) Rs 70,000 crore (in irrigation projections) were made against me it’s been 15 to 16 years since then. Whenever there are elections, multiple accusations are made against us. We try to work transparently, but as soon as we do, people start digging up and alleging random land deals," Ajit Pawar said in his home turf of  Baramati in Pune district. 

Ajit Pawar’s comments came in the backdrop of the ongoing Maharashtra local bodies elections - which involves municipal corporations, municipal councils, town panchayats, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis. 

The deal relates to Survey No 88 in Mouje Mundhwa adjacent to the prime locality of Koregaon Park in Pune where  around 40 acres of Mahar Watan land, denoting hereditary landholding to Mahar (Scheduled Caste) community, made up of 272 smaller plots,  which was illegally  was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, represented by Parth Pawar and  Digvijay Patil, for Rs 300 crore, and the stamp duty on it was waived off.

The market value of the land has been pegged at Rs 1,800 crore. 

Parth Pawar holds 99 per cent stake in Amedia and his cousin Digvijay Patil 1%. The registration was carried out by Shital Tejwani, who holds the power of attorney for 272 individuals shown as landowners.

About the issue, Ajit Pawar said that he had already issued back to back clarifications in Mumbai. 

"I have already presented my stand clearly on various issues ongoing over the past few days. An inquiry has begun and the truth will soon come before the public,” he said.

On the deal, the veteran politician further said that he fails to  understand how a document can be registered without even a transaction of one rupee. "We’ll know within a month why the person who carried out this registration actually did it," he said. 

It may be mentioned, in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar said that Parth Pawar and Digvijay Patil were not aware of the details of the land. 

Besides, he reiterated that he is not the person who will call bureaucrats for his family members or relatives. "Even if my close workers or relatives use my name and say something, if it's not as per the rules, the officials concerned must act on it," he added.

The Pune police has filed two FIRs at police stations in  Bavdhan (Pimpri-Chinchwad Police) and Khadki (Pune Police).

Pune’s Joint District Registrar Santosh Hingane filed a complaint at Bavdhan police station naming Digvijay Patil, Sheetal Tejwani and Ravindra Balkrushna Taaru, the suspended Sub-Registrar.

Pune Sub Divisional Officer Pravina Borade filed a complaint at Khadki police station naming Digvijay Patil, Shital Tejwani and Suryakant Yewale, the suspended Tehsildar. The case has been taken over by the Economic Offences Wing of the Pune Police.