Ajit Pawar too 'power-hungry' to quit government: Maharashtra Congress chief Sapkal

Mumbai, Nov 13 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Thursday hit out at Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, facing Opposition heat over a now scrapped land deal involving his son's firm, and said he is "too power-hungry" to quit the ruling alliance.

Sapkal claimed internal rifts within the state's "triple-engine" Mahayuti government, which consists of the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, have intensified.

"The ruling partners are divided but united only for power. Ajit Pawar cannot stay away from office, so stepping down is out of the question," the MPCC president told reporters after a two-day meeting of the party's state parliamentary board at Tilak Bhavan in south Mumbai.

The Opposition is demanding Ajit Pawar's resignation after it came to light last week that a private firm, in which his son Parth is a co-partner, bought a 40-acre government plot in Pune's Mundhwa area in violation of rules.

The Opposition has alleged the land was sold at a heavily discounted rate, with irregularities in the deal and stamp duty payment. After the controversy, the deal was scrapped by the government.

Ajit Pawar has defended his son, claiming Parth was unaware that the land purchased by the company belonged to the government.

Asked about local body polls, Sapkal informed the Congress has tied up with like-minded groups such as the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, Shetkari Sanghatana, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) in several districts, while no proposal for an alliance with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS was received.

At the meeting, the board finalised Congress candidates for the December 2 polls to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats after consulting local party leaders.

Meanwhile, BJP Minority Morcha leader Junaid Khan, a close aide of saffron party's Chandrapur MLA Bunty Bhangdiya, joined the Congress along with his supporters at the party office. PTI MR RSY