Congress demands Union Minister Mohol's resignation, probe into Pune land deal row

New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday demanded the sacking of Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, alleging he played a role in the transfer of a prime property of a Jain temple in Pune, and demanded a thorough probe into the deal, which has since been revoked following protests from the Jain community.

Mohol, who is the MP from Pune, had on Thursday denied the allegations of any involvement and had welcomed the revocation of the land deal, claiming that his name had been unnecessarily dragged into the row.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Maharashtra Congress senior spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil pointed the finger at Mohol, alleging corruption and misuse of power in the land transaction of Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Jain Hostel in Pune.

He said that the trust land cannot be sold and should be used for educational purposes only, but it was sold to a builder company in which, he claimed, Mohol was a partner earlier.

"Our demand is that Union Minister Muralidhar Mohol should resign from his position and there should be a fair investigation into this matter," Patil told reporters.

Posing several questions, the Congress leader asked, "Can a builder simultaneously pressure a charitable trust, registry office, corporation, and a cooperative bank to get their work done?" He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that neither he indulges in corruption nor is anyone allowed to do so in his government, then why does "he not take action against Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol and why is he (minister) not sacked".

Patil also alleged that the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office has also become a "clean chit office".

Maharashtra charity commissioner had on Thursday ordered the cancellation of the sale of the prime property in Pune belonging to a Jain trust after protests from the Jain community.

The development came after construction firm Gokhale Landmarks LLP and the Seth Hirachand Nemchand Digambar Smarak Trust expressed their desire to cancel the sale deed related to the 3.5-acre property in Model Colony that currently houses a boarding and a Jain Temple.

The controversy had taken a political turn with former MLA and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar alleging the involvement of Mohol in the transaction, a charge denied by the latter.

Mohol, while reacting to the development on Thursday, said he is happy and satisfied with the charity commissioner's order.

Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Chandrakant Patil also claimed that Mohol's name has been "unnecessarily dragged into this matter" in a bid to defame him. PTI SKC RT