Bowing to pressure from all quarters, Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse resigned from his post on Saturday. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that a retired high court judge will conduct an inquiry into the allegations made against Mr Khadse.
Mr Khadse has himself demanded that an inquiry be conducted to prove the allegations against him, including the calls allegedly received on his cell phone from fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s residence in Karachi and the questionable land deal in Bhosari, Pune. There are also allegations that his “PA”, Gajanan Patil, had sought a bribe.
A senior BJP minister, requesting anonymity, said Mr Khadse tried till the last moment to get the state leadership to support him. When he realised that BJP president Amit Shah was not ready to back him, he tried to convince Union minister Nitin Gadkari and called him on Saturday morning.
“Chief minister Fadnavis was not ready to ask Mr Khadse to tender his resignation as he has taken political lessons from him and is also very junior to him. So he asked Mr Gadkari to convince Mr Khadse to resign,” the senior minister said, adding, “Mr Gadkari then requested Mr Khadse to meet the chief minister and tender his resignation.”
“Party leaders at the Centre were not happy with Mr Khadse as the party’s image was taking a beating. He (Mr Shah) said the party would not tolerate it if it has to bear the brunt of allegations against Mr Khadse while he chose to keep silent,” the senior BJP minister said.
“The party supremo told the state leadership that he (Mr Khadse) would have to resign till the allegations against him are proved false,” the minister said, adding that it was clear that the allegations of a link with Dawood Ibrahim and the purchase of MIDC land in Pune district were “troubling” Mr Khadse.
Mr Khadse, who had been in his home district of Jalgaon since Tuesday, returned to Mumbai on Saturday. He went to ‘Varsha’, the official residence of the chief minister, in the morning along with state BJP president Raosaheb Danve. State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, cooperation minister Chandrakant Patil and housing minister Prakash Mehta also joined the almost two-hour meeting during which Mr Khadse submitted his resignation to the CM.
Mr Khadse later addressed the media at the BJP office and challenged Aam Aadmi Party leaders Preeti Menon and Anjali Damania and Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant to prove the allegations levelled against him. “I have been telling all those making allegations to furnish the documents as evidence, but they have not been able to do so. I have said since day one that if any allegation is proved against me, then I will leave politics. I am not talking about resignation but talking about leaving my 40-year political career,” he added. Mr Khadse also spoke of “media trials”. “In 40 years of political life, this is the first time I am facing a media trial. This is being done to defame me, the BJP and the government. I have requested the CM to initiate an ATS inquiry (into the Dawood call case). Also, all those who tried to defame me and took the help of a Pakistan agency should be probed,” he told reporters. He blamed “ethical hacker” Manesh Bhangale and alleged he was a “thief”.
Mr Khadse said he would wait till he was exonerated of all charges. “Unless and until I come out clean, I will not resume any post. I have resigned on my own, considering it my moral responsibility to do so. I also thank my party, BJP, which stood by me,” he said.
