Party Will Direct Steps on the Khadse Issue, Says Maharashtra CM
Eknath Khadse has been accused of being in correspondence with Dawood Ibrahim and involved in a land grabbing case.
advertisement
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday and said that they discussed the controversy regarding Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse.
ANI reported that he also handed over a factual report to Shah and said that the party will direct further steps to deal with the matter based on the report.
While the Congress has unequivocally demanded removal of Khadse, members of the BJP are divided in their opinion on the issue.
On the one hand, Amit Shah, the BJP President, asked the Maharashtra branch of the party for a detailed report regarding Khadse allegations. Shah spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and asked him to “handle the Khadse issue”.
The BJP has also issued a gag order on Eknath Khadse.
However, on the other hand, in a show of support for an embattled Khadse, 15 BJP corporators from Khadse’s home-district of Jalgaon city threatened to resign from the civic body if any action is taken against him, party sources said.
Meanwhile, Satyapal Singh, former Mumbai Police Commissioner and current BJP leader, said Khadse is “under a cloud of suspicion”.
Devendra Fadnavis will meet the Prime Minister in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the issue.
Additionally, an AAP delegation will meet Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai on Thursday to request immediate Khadse’s dismissal. The delegation would also demand independent probe on all charges, party’s spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon, who will lead the delegation, said.
Party leader Arvind Kejriwal demanded Khadse’s resignation in a tweet on Thursday.
Former AAP leader Anjali Damania on 2 June launched a hunger strike demanding an inquiry into allegations of corruption against Eknath Khadse and sought his ouster from the state cabinet. She also demanded that the inquiry be completed within six months and the case be heard by a fast-track court.
Troubles for Khadse continue to increase as a sting operation carried out by India Today revealed the Revenue Minister trying to intimidate Hemant Gawande who had drawn public attention to the case of land grabbing Khadse is being held for.
In Pune, Hemant Gavande, a local builder who first levelled allegations against Khadse with regard to the MIDC land, had approached the police seeking action against the minister. Gavande has alleged that a 3-acre plot in Bhosari MIDC was bought by Khadse’s wife and son-in-law for just Rs 3.75 crore from its original owner, while its market value was Rs 40 crore.
Khadse, refuted Gavande’s allegations, saying that his credibility should be checked.