PAWAR IN THE DOCK

A DISPUTED LAND DEAL INVOLVING AJIT PAWAR'S SON PARTH PUTS THE NCP CHIEF AND DEPUTY CM ON THE DEFENSIVE AND EXPOSES CRACKS IN THE RULING MAHAYUTI AHEAD OF LOCAL BODY POLLS

- DHAVAL S. KULKARNI

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's political career has rarely been without controversy—be it graft allegations in irrigation contracts, charges of irregularities in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, coalition flip-flops, or splitting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The latest challenge comes from a multi-crore disputed land deal in Pune linked to his son Parth.

The scandal involving the state’s ministers and leaders comes amid the intensifying tussle for political space and power within the ruling Mahayuti, comprising Ajit’s NCP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, ahead of the local bodies election slated for next month.

In May, Amadea Enterprises LLP— in which Parth, Ajit’s elder son, and his maternal cousin Digvijay Amarsinh Patil are directors—purchased around 40 acres of prime land in Pune’s Mundhwa-Koregaon Park. Amadea entered a Rs 300 crore sale deed, when the market value of the land may be around Rs 1,800 crore. Just Rs 500 was paid as stamp duty instead of Rs 21 crore, leading to a loss of revenue for the exchequer. The government land is on lease with the Botanical Survey of India till 2038 (see A Shady Land Deal).

After the controversy broke early this month, an FIR was filed against three persons, including Patil, but what has raised eyebrows is that Parth was not named, despite holding a majority stake in the company. Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale and sub-registrar R.B. Taru (named in the FIR) have been suspended. Also booked was Sheetal Tejwani, who holds the powers of attorney from the 272 descendants of the original landowners from the Mahar (Buddhist Dalit) community. The Mahars had been given this land by the British as watan or grants in return for their hereditary services to the village community.