Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, speaking to reporters on Saturday in Pune, defended his son Parth Pawar in the Mundhwa Mahar Watan Land Deal, saying a person learns from his experiences, implying this was just a mere mistake on his part. Pawar also said he didn't know about the transaction, and if he knew, he wouldn't have let things get this far.
Ajit Pawar took a meeting in Pune on Saturday regarding the upcoming local body elections in the state. All major Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders in the city were present on the occasion. After the meeting, Pawar had an interaction with the press.
Speaking with the press, Ajit Pawar said, “Whenever you have any business, the business is studied beforehand with the help of expert lawyers. But this didn't happen in the Mundhwa land deal. I didn't know about the transaction at all, or I wouldn't have let this happen.”
‘Parth Didn't Tell Me...’
“Be it the Mundhwa or Bopodi deal, the land belongs to the government. That's why the transaction needed to be stopped by revenue officials. But they didn't do it. In the Mundhwa deal, no money exchanged hands, yet there is still a sale deed. This is shocking for me. Preliminary, three people are accused in this case, and action has been taken against them. A high-level officials committee has been appointed to investigate this. The state government will create a guide on how this committee should investigate this case. After the investigation, everything will be clear,” said Pawar.
Pawar further said, “Parth didn't inform me about the deal in Mundhwa. After this incident came to light, I haven't met Parth yet. I will speak to him soon. I will advise him that no matter how trustworthy people are present, you should involve experts before doing business. Even if you have to pay some money for those experts, it's okay. In the end, a person learns from his experiences, and in the future, Parth will take care.”
Ajit Silent On Sule & Sharad Pawar's Remark
Speaking to reporters about this, Baramati MP and Ajit Pawar's cousin, Supriya Sule, had said, “I believe in Parth; he won't do anything wrong. I spoke with him this morning. He told me he didn't do anything wrong. Of course, I support him. Be it Parth, Rohit, Jay, or Revathi, they are all our children. There's nothing wrong with standing by family." However, Sule targeted government officials, saying, “If it were government land, there's no right to sell it. So, how was the government land sold?”
Ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar broke his silence regarding his grandnephew, too. He said, “As a family, we are one, but we are divided ideologically. We do not bring family into politics, but our ideology. Only the Home Minister can provide accurate information on why Parth's name is missing from the FIR. Supporting Parth could be Supriya's view. The Chief Minister has said publicly that the matter is serious. So he should conduct a probe and put the facts before society. It is necessary that the government conduct a proper investigation and make the facts public."
When Ajit Pawar was asked about this, he dodged the question. “I don't know what both of them have said. In my political career. I have been accused of many things, but they were never proven. But it defamed me a lot. As elections are coming, these things happen,” Pawar added.
Opposition Demands Ajit Pawar's Resignation
Opposition leaders from Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SP all have demanded Ajit Pawar's resignation after his press conference in Mumbai on Friday and Pune on Saturday. All of them state that this should happen as part of a fair investigation.
On the part where Ajit Pawar claimed he didn't know about the deal, former MLA Ambadas Danve from Uddhav Sena said, “If normal children bought a pen, they would tell their parents. Here, Ajit Pawar claims he didn't know his son was buying 40 acres of land. How can one believe this?”
