Former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday broke his silence on his grandnephew Parth Pawar's links to the Pune land scam, demanding a fair probe into it.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s elder son Parth has landed in trouble over the purchase of 40 acres of Pune land for Rs 300 crore against the market price of Rs 2,000 crore. Besides, by allegedly using the influence of his father, he got the Rs 6 crore stamp duty and registration charges waived.
Reacting to the controversy, Ajit Pawar’s uncle and Parth Pawar’s granduncle Sharad Pawar said in Akola that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said publicly that the matter is serious.
“We expect the CM to conduct a fair probe and put the facts before the people. Family and politics are two different things. We should not mix them. Ajit Pawar fielded his spouse Sunetra Pawar against his own cousin Supriya Sule in the Baramati Lok Sabha election, while my grandnephew Yugendra Pawar contested the state assembly polls against Ajit Pawar in Baramati,” Sharad Pawar said.
He further added, “When it comes to family matters, I am the head of it, but when it comes to politics, we are completely different. We have ideological differences with Ajit Pawar and his party. And Parth Pawar’s land deal issue is not a family matter; it is an administrative and political issue, therefore, we have to take a political stand.”
Asked why no FIR was lodged against Parth Pawar though he is the main owner of the firm that bought the 40 acres of land, Sharad Pawar said the home minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the chief minister, can throw light on it.
Reacting to Pawar’s statement, CM Fadnavis said the FIR is the primary complaint against the people who were signatories in the Pune land deal. He said once the probe expands, more FIRs will be lodged.
Sharad Pawar also disagreed with his daughter, NCP MP Supriya Sule, who had defended Parth Pawar, saying she didn't think he would do anything wrong. The NCP (SP) chief said this could be her view, but his party is not aligned to it.
Meanwhile, in Pune, a Dalit organization staged a protest in front of Ajit Pawar's residence, demanding his resignation and an atrocity case against Parth Pawar for taking away Mahar Vatan land at throwaway prices.