MUMBAI: Stepping up his attack over the alleged land scam in Pune involving Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s son, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his silence on what he described as “Pune land chori after vote chori.”
In a post on X, Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, alleged that government land in Maharashtra worth ₹1,800 crore, which had been reserved for Dalits, was sold to a company owned by Ajit Pawar’s son for just ₹300 crore. Parth Pawar’s firm, he said, had purchased 40 acres of land at a fraction of its actual value.
“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,” Gandhi wrote. He went on to say this was “land theft” by a government that itself came to power through “vote theft.”
“They know that no matter how much they loot, they will return to power by stealing votes again. No regard for democracy, nor for the public, nor for the rights of Dalits. Modi ji, your silence speaks volumes. Are you staying silent for this reason, because your government is propped up by those very looters who usurp the rights of Dalits and the deprived?” he asked.
Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP is an ally in the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra. The BJP had earlier accused Pawar of involvement in a ₹70,000 crore irrigation scam, but the probe has since gone quiet after he joined hands with the BJP.
