NEW DELHI: A political row erupted in Maharashtra on Thursday over alleged transfer of a 40-acre ‘Mahar Watan’ land belonging to the state in Pune’s Mundhwa area for Rs 300 crore in favour of Amadea Enterprises LLP, a company in which deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s son Parth is one of two partners, prompting Mahayuti government to order a probe by a five-member committee and suspend a sub-registrar. The state allegedly waived stamp duty of Rs 21 crore payable for the sale deed registration done in May, alleged activists who claimed the land’s market value was Rs 1,800 crore. CM Devendra Fadnavis said he has ordered an inquiry into the land deal. “Prima facie the issue appears to be serious. I have asked for officials concerned from land records, IGR and other revenue offices to share all the details with me,” he said. Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s ‘How Dare You’ retort at an IPS officer triggers political firestorm. The government has suspended sub-registrar Ravindra Taru from IGR’s Haveli IV sub-registrar office on charges of “gross irregularity in registering the sale deed and causing loss to the exchequer”. The IGR authorised joint district registrar (class I) and stamp duty collector Santosh Hingane to initiate criminal proceedings against Taru, Sheetal Tejwani (who held power of attorney for the land), and Amadea Enterprises LLP partner Digvijay Patil, named in the sale deed. Ajit distanced himself from the case. In a statement that further stirred the row, he said he had heard something like this 3-4 months ago and had warned against anything wrong being done. “I had given clear directions that no one should do anything wrong. Directly, as Ajit Pawar, I have no connection with the case by far,” he said. He also said when children grow up, they begin their own profession. He clarified the address of the company concerned was not his but that of his son, Parth. “I have never contacted any official regarding favours to be done for my relatives. If anyone is using my name to do anything against the rules, I do not support it,” Ajit said. He said “the CM has the right to conduct an inquiry.” Supriya Sule of NCP (SP), however, defended her nephew, saying, “I believe in Parth, he won’t do anything wrong.” Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI, “There has been an illegal transaction and necessary inquiry is being carried out. Action will be taken against officials who are part of it.”‘This is land theft’: Rahul Gandhi targets Maharashtra govt over property scam; recalls ‘vote theft’ charge NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Maharashtra government of “zameen chori” (land theft) after earlier alleging “vote chori” (vote theft) by the Centre. He made the remark following reports that a company linked to Parth Pawar, son of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, had allegedly acquired government land in Pune’s Koregaon Park area without paying proper dues. Citing an interim government report, Gandhi alleged that land worth Rs 1,800 crore, reserved for Dalits, was sold for just Rs 300 crore, with stamp duty completely waived. Rahul Gandhi accused PM Modi, Amit Shah, and the Election Commission of stealing elections and claimed multiple polls were manipulated. He said the case exposed large-scale corruption in the state and claimed the same government came to power through “vote theft.” In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “In Maharashtra, government land worth ₹1,800 crore, which was reserved for Dalits, was sold to the minister’s son’s company for just ₹300 crore. On top of that, the stamp duty was also waived — meaning not only is it a robbery, but even a legal stamp of approval on the theft.” The Congress MP further wrote: “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.” He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for maintaining silence on the issue, alleging that the central government was protecting those who “usurp the rights of Dalits and the deprived.” “No regard for democracy, nor for the public, nor for the rights of Dalits. Modi ji, your silence speaks volumes — are you staying silent because your government is propped up by those very looters who usurp the rights of Dalits and the deprived?” Gandhi asked. According to an interim report by the Inspector General of Registration in Pune, the property, allegedly valued at Rs 1,800 crore, was sold to a company linked to Parth Pawar for just Rs 300 crore, with only Rs 500 paid in stamp duty. The report claims the sale bypassed standard procedures for land reserved for Dalits and involved significant financial losses to the state, news agency ANI reported. Following the report, one official has been suspended and the Maharashtra government has set up a high-level committee to investigate the alleged irregularities. The committee has been asked to submit its final findings within eight days. Go to Source
