New Delhi, Nov 1
The Congress on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol for his alleged involvement in facilitating the illegal sale of land belonging to a charitable trust to a construction firm he was a partner in till December last year.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Atul Londhe Patil, Senior Spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress, alleged that land belonging to a charitable trust -- on which the Hirachand Digambar Jain Hostel and a temple are located -- was sold to a firm at a throwaway price of Rs 230 crore, even though its actual market value was around Rs 2,500 crore.
Disputing the claims made by the Union Minister, Londhe Patil said the manner in which the entire process was completed "at an electrifying speed" on a single day indicated that such a transaction would not have been possible without Mohol's patronage. Mohol is the Lok Sabha MP from Pune.
The Maharashtra Congress leader further disclosed that the trust deed clearly states that the land cannot be sold under any circumstances and can only be used for educational purposes, to assist students, and for the functioning of the Jain temple located on the premises.
He added that the deed also specifies that, if funds ever need to be generated, it can be done by constructing shops or commercial establishments to be rented out for income, but under no circumstances can the land itself be sold.
Rejecting Mohol's defence that he was not involved in the matter, Londhe Patil questioned: "Is it possible that a builder could pressurise a charitable trust, the registry office, the municipal corporation and the banks to get all work done at lightning speed -- without political influence?"
He further asked how it was possible that the sale deed, the mortgage of the land, and the sanctioning of loans by two banks -- along with the release of funds -- all took place on the same day.
Alleging a conflict of interest, Londhe Patil said that while Mohol took oath as a Union Minister in June 2024, he exited Gokhale Builders only in December that year. He said that, firstly, the land could not have been sold at all as it belonged to a charitable trust. Secondly, it was grossly undervalued and sold for just Rs 230 crore, while one of the firm's partners had claimed that the firm expected to earn around Rs 2,500 crore from the upcoming project.
Demanding Mohol's immediate resignation, Londhe Patil called for a thorough inquiry into the matter, saying that if the minister comes clean, he could rejoin the government -- otherwise, strict action should be initiated against him.
- IANS
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