Mumbai: Facing a string of allegations including irregularities in a land deal, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse resigned on Saturday, the first casualty in BJP since the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah combine took over pledging zero-tolerance towards corruption.
Forwarding Khadse's resignation to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the allegations against him, as sought by the senior leader himself.
With his position becoming untenable after the central leadership sent a clear and stern message, the 64-year-old veteran from north Maharashtra drove this morning to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's official residence to offer his resignation.
Read: Eknath Khadse resigns amid charges of corruption, links with Dawood
Later, after a point-by-point rebuttal of allegations at a press meet, Khadse went to Fadnavis's residence again to formally hand over his resignation. "I have received Eknath Khadse's resignation. I have accepted it and sent it to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao. A Retired High Court judge will be appointed to probe charges against Khadse," said Fadnavis.
The fate of Khadse was sealed two days back after Fadnavis briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah in Delhi about the development and its possible fallout on the image of the ministry.
Read: Quit to uphold moral values, says Khadse; alleges media trial
Allegations against Khadse were leveraged not only by Congress, NCP and AAP to embarrass Maharashtra's first BJP-led government but even ally Shiv Sena had come out in the open seeking his ouster.
Considered "number two" in the Cabinet and in-charge of vital portfolios like Revenue and Agriculture, Khadse has been facing a series of allegations including irregularities in a land deal in Pune and of getting calls allegedly from fugitive
Dawood Ibrahim's residence in Karachi on his mobile phone besides the alleged bribe sought by a personal aide.
Read: Maharashtra BJP chief dubs charges against Khadse as 'political'
He is in a spot over the purchase of a three-acre Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land in Pune allegedly at a low price of around Rs 3.75 crore from its original owner in the name of his wife and son-in-law. The market value of the land is reportedly Rs 40 crore.
Rubbishing the allegations at a press meet with state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve, Khadse said he had been a victim of an "unprecedented media trial."
Seen as the OBC face of the party with a massive following in northern districts, Khadse said, "For the last 40 years, I have been in politics and the party but had not experienced a media trial like this."
Read: Devendra Fadnavis behind Eknath Khadse's exit, says former Maharashtra CM
Protests erupted in Khadse's home turf Jalgaon and his constituency Mutainagar where people took to the streets in support of the stalwart.
The Congress, however, said mere resignation would not do and a criminal case should be registered against Khadse. "Mere resignation of Eknath Khadse with a simultaneous clean chit to him wouldn't put the lid over or do away the need for an independent probe into alleged Dawood Ibrahim terror connection," party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said in New Delhi.
The state BJP leadership is expected to meet next week to decide on re-allocation of portfolios after Khadse's exit and also to work out strategies to counter opposition onslaught over the development during the ensuing assembly session.
Read: Retired High Court judge to probe charges against Khadse: Devendra Fadnavis
Elated over the departure of the first minister from the BJP-led cabinet under cloud of corruption, the Congress demanded a judicial inquiry into the allegations against him. "Only resignation will not do. We want a high level judicial inquiry into the scams involving Khadse. We don't trust this Government, which may sabotage the investigation," Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said.
"It is good that he has resigned. But it is a delayed decision. The BJP had no option since the charges against Khadse like the MIDC land deal and Dawood call allegation are very serious in nature," Chavan, a former chief minister, said.
Congress leader and former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said resignation of Khadse was inevitable. The real political decision, however, is to how high a level the government would take the matter, he said.
Read: Arvind Kejriwal dubs Khadse a 'traitor', supports Hardik Patel
Seeking to drive a wedge into the BJP, Congress leader and former chief minister Narayan Rane alleged Fadnavis was behind the ouster of Khadse and sought to know as to why only backward class leaders are facing trouble in the ministry.
"Fadnavis took Khadse's wicket," Rane said, adding "on the one hand, you (Fadnavis) give him a clean chit and on the other, you go to Delhi and request the party to take Khadse's resignation and also announce that the (BJP) president will declare a decision in this regard," Rane said.
"BJP is targeting 'bahujan' community leadership," Rane said. So far,only ministers of bahujan community have been targeted, Rane said, in a veiled reference to corruption charges against other ministers like Vinod Tawde and Pankaja Munde.
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan, however, said there is no need to bring caste or comunity angle in the Khadse episode.
Starting his career as a sarpanch of his village Kothali in Jalgaon district, Khadse was virtually the number two in the Fadnavis cabinet, holding as many as 10 portfolios.
Significantly, it was Khadse who took the lead in breaking off the alliance with Sena ahead of the October 2014 Assembly polls, paving the way for the first ministry in the state under the party.
Hailing from the Leva Patil community, Khadse has positioned himself as a backward class leader, especially after Gopinath Munde’s demise. He had served as leader of the Opposition during the Congress-NCP rule and a minister in the first Shiv Sena-BJP regime during 1995-99.
Khadse's supporters staged protests at Muktainagar in Jalgaon district and they burnt tyres at some places. The protesters blocked roads at Nahata College Square in Bhusaval tehsil and pelted stones at MSRTC buses at Sekri toll booth.
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil claimed there was a 'deal' between Khadse and BJP leadership, under which he will be 'acquitted' of all charges in a year.
"As per the deal, it has been decided that Khadse should not split the party and in return, he will be re-inducted into the ministry by the year-end," he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao accepted Khadse's resignation, based on the Chief Minister's recommendation, a Raj Bhavan official said.
