Land grab allegations against Maha minister: BJP MLA takes

BJP MLA Anil Gote today caused a flutter when he said that "there cannot be smoke without fire", a comment viewed as a veiled attack on party minister Jaykumar Rawal who is under flak over the suicide of a farmer from Dhule district.
The Tourism Minister is battling allegations of dubious land deals in Dhule district following the death of 84-year-old Dharma Patil who breathed his last on Sunday, nearly a week after he consumed poison at state secretariat here demanding better compensation for his land which was acquired for a solar project.
Gote, an MLA from Dhule district, said the land grab "scam" runs into Rs 135 crore.

"State-owned land near Dhule city has been grabbed by someone and it is a scam worth Rs 135 crore. It is mentioned in a report prepared by Nashik divisional commissioner Mahesh Zagade. Without fire, there cannot be smoke," Gote said.
Interestingly, opposition Congress and NCP had alleged that farmers in the district whose land was acquired for the project had to pay to middlemen to ensure higher compensation.
"Without any political support, estate agents cannot carry out such land grabbing scam. The survey numbers 501 and 510 (the land) are actually owned by the state government, but it has been grabbed by some land agents. All these details are mentioned in Zagade's report," Gote claimed.

The MLA has written a two-page letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking his intervention.

"Several government officials buy some land in advance through some agents. Then it gets acquired at higher rates. It is an organised loot," he stated.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik yesterday alleged that Rawal and his family members had bought lands in advance from farmers at lower rates in Dhule district ahead of their acquisition by the state government for higher compensation.
He also alleged that some "fake" companies are operational in Dhule district that buy land for Rawal.
Rawal, who represents the Sindkheda constituency in the north Maharashtra district, of which the deceased farmer was also a resident, had denied the charges.