The Food and Civil Supplies Minister is already facing heat over the murder of a village sarpanch in his native Beed district in December
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Amid the demands for his resignation over the Beed Sarpanch murder case, Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde has found himself in a new controversy.
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A close relative of late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan on Wednesday accused Munde of acquiring 1.5 acres of land owned by her in Beed district for just Rs 21 lakh through coercion, news agency PTI reported. Sarangi Mahajan, Mahajan's sister-in-law, claimed that the land is worth more than Rs 3.5 crore, and demanded Munde's resignation from the post of the Food and Civil Supplies Minister.
According to PTI, Sarangi met Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai and alleged that one of Munde's associate had coerced her into transferring the land owned by her under duress.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sarangi said, "The Chief Minister has assured me of justice. I have also received similar assurances from [deputy CM] Ajit Pawar. I will support the demand for Dhananjay Munde's resignation as he has caused me significant distress over the past one-and-a-half years."
Munde, a prominent leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), headed by Pawar, was not available for comment on the allegations made by Sarangi, PTI stated.
Mahajan's sister Pradnya was married to BJP leader Gopinath Munde, who passed away in 2014 in an accident.
Gopinath has two daughters, Pankaja and Pritam, while Munde is his nephew. Pankaja and Munde are cabinet ministers in the Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.
Sarangi is the wife of Pravin, Mahajan's brother. She and Munde are also related.
According to PTI, Sarangi alleged that Munde's associate Balaji Munde summoned her to Panvel near Mumbai and then to Parli in Beed district in central Maharashtra, where she was forced to sign documents transferring 1.5 acres of her land.
"I was unaware of their intentions. They misled me with kind words and took me to the land registrar's office. Under threat, I signed the papers. It was only later that I realised the gravity of their actions," she said.
She also criticised Pankaja, accusing her of complicity in the entire episode.
"Pankaja is not innocent. She had silent consent in this matter. Both of them should be held accountable," she said.
During her interaction with the Maharashtra CM, Sarangi explained about the situation in Beed district and alleged that local officials acted under pressure from Munde.
"Revenue department officials and registrars in Beed only follow his [Munde's] directives. Land transactions do not happen without his approval. Officers from other districts should be posted here [Beed] to ensure impartiality," she said, adding, "I was threatened that I would not be allowed to leave Parli without signing blank documents. Sarangi said that she has filed complaints at the Ambejogai Police Station in Beed district in the case.
The land grab accusation comes amid demands from political leaders, including BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Suresh Dhas, for Munde's resignation over the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
Deshmukh's relatives earlier met Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, and sought justice for the slain sarpanch.
(With PTI inputs)
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