Satara: The political atmosphere has heated up significantly following the drug trafficking case uncovered at Savari in Jawali Tehsil of Satara District. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s brother and Thane-based former corporator Prakash Shinde’s name had been embroiled in this controversy; however, he has clarified that he has absolutely no connection to the case.
He criticised the allegations made by the leaders of the Indian National Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) as completely baseless, unfounded, and purely politically motivated. While speaking to the media on Friday, he expressed deep outrage over what he termed a deliberate attempt to defame the Shinde family.
Presenting the facts, Prakash Shinde stated that the land where the mephedrone (MD) drug stock was found belongs to a farmer named Govind. He emphasised that he has no ownership rights over that factory or the site as alleged by the opposition. “The location raided by the police is approximately three kilometres away from the land owned by me,” Prakash Shinde said.
Providing 7/12 extract documents as proof, he explained that his land is Survey No. 17/1, whereas the site of the police action is No. 4/1. He further noted that his ancestral land is nearly 15 kilometres away from the incident site. In this context, he advised Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare to verify the facts before making comments.
Clarification on the Land Project and Ranjit Shinde
Clarifying the project on his land, Shinde said that no five-star hotel is being built there. Prakash Shinde instead claimed that the intent is to provide employment to local youth through agri-tourism. He also stated that all transactions regarding the land sold to Ranjit Shinde were legal. He clarified that Ranjit Shinde is present in the village and the reports of him absconding are false. He alleged that such rumours are being spread solely out of political malice to create confusion in society.
Meanwhile, legal steps are now being taken against those defaming the family through this entire episode. Prakash Shinde warned that legal notices will be served to those making false allegations, and if they do not apologise, a defamation suit will be filed in the relevant court. Furthermore, he demanded that the police take strict action against those guilty of serious crimes like drug trafficking and immediately arrest all the masterminds behind this racket.
