As Ajit says land deal scrapped, Oppn seeks his ouster, FIR against son

Demanding an FIR against Parth Pawar, Danve said, “In the concerned company, the one who has one per cent share has been arrested but the one who has 90 per cent share has not been arrested… An offence should be filed against the company. Where the company got the ₹300 crore should be probed. If the case was not uncovered, then they would have got away with it. An offence against Parth Pawar should be filed and Ajit Pawar should resign.”

Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar, who had recently taken on Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol in the Jain property trust case, said, “All transactions in the Mundhwa land deal should be probed. Government land cannot be bought… If Ajit Pawar had warned Parth Pawar not to go ahead with the deal, then he will have to face action. If the mistake has been committed, then an offence should be registered against Parth Pawar. All those who are involved in the land deal should face action.”

AAP spokesperson Mukund Kirdat said, “An FIR should be filed against Parth Pawar in the Mundhwa land deal and his father Ajit Pawar should resign as the Deputy Chief Minister. It is important that Ajit Pawar should step down so as to ensure free and fair probe.” They AAP submitted a memorandum of their demands to the district collectorate.

Congress spokesperson Gopal Tiwari demanded a judicial probe into the incident. “How was the Mahar Vatan allowed to be sold and that too to the son of Deputy Chief Minister. This means the entire government machinery has gone all out to help the son of the Deputy CM get the land in no time. It is difficult to believe that Ajit Pawar had no information or knowledge as to what his son was up to. Can a father remain oblivious to the fact that his son who lives in the same house like him was indulging in a multi-crore rupee deal and he is not aware of it? Ajit Pawar’s statement that he had heard something of that sort happening and had told Parth not to indulge in anything wrong speaks for itself. It is clear that Ajit Pawar was aware of the deal yet did not take any decisive action,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was touring flood affected Marathwada, said nothing substantial will come out of the probe launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the Pune deal. “In the end, everyone will get a clean chit,” he said.

Mahayuti Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said if Ajit Pawar had taken timely action, he could have avoided the controversy surrounding the land deal. “When Ajit Pawar got wind about the land deal, he should have acted then. It would have helped him avoid the currently controversy.”

Asked about the demand for Ajit Pawar’s resignation, Vikhe-Patil said the opposition has nothing else to do except demand resignations.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar said if the opposition was targeting him, it was their right to do so.

“Opposition will try to target us, it is their right… I don’t want to go into it,” he said while announcing the scrapping of the land deal after meeting the Chief Minister in Mumbai Friday evening.

NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said, “Misleading and wrong allegations are being made against Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and his son Parth Pawar. In this regard, Ajit Pawar himself today set the record straight. Ajit Pawar has always adhered to the norms and laws laid down and has functioned in a transparent manner. Every decision of his is rooted in justice, transparency and lawful principles. Ajitdada has clarified that he has no connection with the deal. The concerned land deal has been scrapped. The government has launched a probe into it. It has appointed a committee for purpose. I am sure the truth will come out of this probe.”