Months after he quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Eknath Khadse has now been served a notice by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear for inquiry in Mumbai on December 30 in a case related to a land in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area in Pune.
Mr. Khadse, was the Revenue minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government when he resigned in 2016 after allegations over misuse of his position in a land purchased by his wife and son-in-law.
“Yes, I have received a notice from the ED. Do you really think I am going get scared by such notices? Do you really think, I was not anticipating some dirty tricks?” Mr. Khadse said speaking to The Hindu from Jalgaon.
Interestingly, Mr. Khadse, while joining the NCP, had expressed the possibility of ED notices being served to him. “If you are going unleash ED on me, then I am going to project CDs,” he had warned BJP leaders, hinting that he held evidence against the wrongdoings of the BJP state unit leaders.
The former minister has been probed by Nashik and Pune units of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) by the previous BJP government. A Zoting Committee too was set up by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to probe allegations of land grab in this case against Mr. Khadse.
As a BJP MLA, Mr. Khadse had repeatedly demanded that the committee report be made public, which according to his aides gave him a clean chit. However this demand was not accepted.
“I am well-prepared to appear in front of any committee or probe agency. I have faced inquiries before and I am ready to face them again,” said Mr. Khadse, who will be reaching Mumbai on Sunday night.
The NCP reacted strongly to this development and said people have realised the ED’s game.
“ED is being unleashed on political opponents by the BJP. Eknath Khadse is capable of dealing with such notices and was aware that such a thing will happen,” said senior NCP leader and Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik.
