Sapkal rakes up Ajit Pawar’s remarks to demand Mohol’s resignation

Mumbai, Jan 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, alleging his role in the issuance of a passport to a known criminal, a charge Mohol has already denied.

Sapkal referred to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s press conference on Friday to attack Mohol.

Pawar had justified tickets for candidates with criminal backgrounds for the upcoming civic polls, claiming he himself faced allegations of orchestrating a Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam and asserted no one was a criminal until proved guilty. The comments came after Mohol slammed Pawar’s NCP for giving tickets to persons with criminal links.

In an apparent reference to gangster Nilesh Ghaywal, who fled the country amid a firing case against him, Pawar asked who helped the person to escape. The Opposition has accused Mohol of playing a role in the issuance of a passport to Ghaywal, though the BJP leader has already rejected the charge.

“It is a matter of grave concern for national security that a person with a known criminal history could obtain a passport through political influence. This is a direct violation of the Passport Act, 1967,” Sapkal said, referring to Pawar’s statement.

Sapkal demanded that Mohol, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, resign from his position immediately and called for a high-level probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to uncover the “political-criminal nexus”.

Those who once called Pawar the “king of corruption” are now sharing power with him, which has “exposed the double standards” of the ruling coalition, said Sapkal. Pawar’s NCP, the BJP and Shiv Sena, led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, are partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition.

“Corruption among those in power prevents accountability. If the government is serious about its ‘clean image’, it must explain how individuals facing such massive allegations are being shielded,” Sapkal asked.

Pawar’s stance that he is a part of the government with those who made allegations against him appears to be a direct challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, claimed Sapkal.

He said the Election Commission must act on the allegations against Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who has been accused of violating the model code of conduct in force for civic polls, interfering in the nomination process and tampering with CCTV footage linked to the exercise.

Narwekar, the BJP MLA from Colaba in South Mumbai, has dismissed the charges as “baseless” and politically motivated.

“The Election Commission should act, if not with regard for public opinion, then at least with a sense of conscience. By now, an offence should have been registered, but the Commission appears to be working at the behest of the BJP,” Sapkal alleged.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day. PTI MR NR