Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Opposition in Maharashtra, on December 26 demanded the resignation of State Agriculture Minister and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction leader Abdul Sattar over alleged allotment of a plot of government land to a private person in Washim district.
Leading the charge in the State Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar produced a copy of the Bombay High Court’s (Nagpur Bench) strictures on Mr. Sattar’s decision of handing over 37 acres of bairan (grazing land) worth ₹150 crore to a man, Yogesh Khandale, despite Supreme Court orders prohibiting change of reservation on grazing land.
Mr. Pawar also cornered Mr. Sattar for allegedly exhorting his officers in the Agriculture Department to seek hefty contributions for the upcoming ‘Sillod Mahotsav’—an agricultural fair held at Sillod in Aurangabad, which is Mr. Sattar’s constituency.
Days before the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government in June, Mr. Sattar, who was then Minister of State (MoS) for Revenue in the MVA, had ruled in favour of allotting the plot of grazing land in Washim district of Vidarbha to Mr. Khandale.
Later, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court held that Mr. Sattar had taken the decision to allot the land to Mr. Khandale in spite of the knowledge that the local court in Washim had not permitted Mr. Khandale’s claim over the gairan land.
“He [Mr. Sattar] has flagrantly misused his position despite being well aware of the strictures of the High Court and Supreme Court. This is a scam to the tune of ₹150 crore. The district court had dismissed Khandale’s claim to this plot of gairan land of 37 acres and 19 gunthas, while observing that Khandale had been trying to seize that parcel of land. Then, the Washim District Collector had written to the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) about Sattar’s decision to allot the land to a private citizen. Yet, no action has been taken against the Minister’s decision by the ruling government,” said Mr. Pawar, while demanding Mr. Sattar’s immediate resignation from the State Cabinet.
While former Speaker and NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil demanded that a criminal case be filed against Mr. Sattar, former Chief Minister and Congressman Prithviraj Chavan demanded Mr. Sattar’s dismissal from the Cabinet till the High Court gave him a clean chit.
Responding to the Opposition’s demands against Mr. Sattar, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the government would examine the High Court order and take necessary action while stressing that it would sternly probe Mr. Sattar’s alleged order to his officers in the Agiculture Department to levy contributions for the agricultural fair in Sillod.
No end to controversies
No stranger to controversy, Mr. Sattar has been repeatedly in the news for the wrong reasons since the past six months.
Soon after the formation of the new Shinde-Fadnavis government, Mr. Sattar found himself in hot water after the names of two of his daughters appeared among the list of candidates debarred by the Maharashtra State Council of Exams (MSCE) for their involvement in the teacher eligibility test (TET) scam.
The TET scam had unfolded in December 2021, when it was revealed that thousands of candidates had got their marks inflated while some secured fake certificates by paying cash. In August this year, the MSCE released a list which said that a police investigation revealed that 7,880 candidates were involved in tampering with the results despite failing the exams. The names of Mr. Sattar’s daughters were found in this list.
In October, Mr. Sattar dubbed Uddhav Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray as “Chhota Pappu” while sarcastically asking Beed District Collector Radhabinod Sharma if he “drank alcohol” during a field visit.
Then in November, Mr. Sattar’s unparliamentary language against NCP leader and Baramati MP Supriya Sule triggered State-wide protests not just by the NCP but condemnation across the social and political spectrum including from leaders in the ruling Shinde faction.
“What kind of a Minister is he who asks a District Collector if he drinks alcohol? In the past, he has threatened people and used derogatory language against women. He is utterly shameless and Mr. Fadnavis bears responsibility for this as Sattar is a part of your Cabinet,” said Mr. Ajit Pawar, taunting Mr. Fadnavis.
