Day After Arresting Son-In-Law, Probe Agency Summons NCP's Eknath Khadse

Eknath Khadse, the former BJP leader who joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP last October, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a 2016 Pune land deal case. This is the second time since January this year that the agency is set to question the senior politician, whose son-in-law, Girish Chaudhary, was arrested yesterday in connection with the same matter.

Mr Khadse, who resigned as Maharashtra Revenue Minister in June 2016 following allegations of misuse of office, has been asked to present himself for questioning tomorrow. He was questioned in January by the agency in connection with the land deal of his family in the Bhosari area near Pune.

His son-in-law was called in for questioning on Tuesday and later arrested.

Earlier, the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had probed the matter and submitted a closure report. The income-tax department, too, had sought information on the matter.

Mr Khadse had resigned from the then Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra cabinet in 2016 over allegations that he had misused his official powers to facilitate the purchase of government land by his family.

He has, however, repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

After four years in political wilderness, Mr Khadse joined the NCP, following which he blamed Mr Fadnavis for "trying to destroy his life" and political career, three decades of which, he said, were spent strengthening the BJP in Maharashtra.

"I spent four years in mental tension…There were attempts to frame me on false charges of rape," he said on the day he joined the NCP.

Mr Fadnavis, however, dubbed these allegations "half-truth", adding that it was Mr Khadse who was painting him a villain.