Mumbai: Vilasrao Deshmukh should quit the
Union Cabinet in the wake of critical observations made by the Bombay High Court on his role as the then chief minister in
the land deal involving Subhash Ghai's Mukta Arts, Maharashtra
BJP demanded Saturday.
"If Deshmukh does not quit, then Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh should dismiss him from the ministry," state BJP
president Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters here.
The high court has directed Bollywood filmmaker Subhash
Ghai to hand over to the Maharashtra government the 20-acre
land allotted for his ambitious film institute -- Whistling
Woods International, located in Filmcity, Goregaon.
"Deshmukh has clearly misused his official position as
the chief minister and it is not acceptable that a CM will
personally sign such an agreement, which is illegal. It is
clear that Vilasrao has extended undue favours to Ghai's Whistling Woods," the court had observed.
Mungantiwar also referred to the state government
paying the Supreme Court a fine of Rs 10 lakh last year,
imposed for obstruction of police action against the money
lender father of Congress MLA Dilip Sananda, allegedly at the
behest of Deshmukh, then chief minister.
"There are two more land cases (against Deshmukh) in the
high court, whose verdict will be out soon," Mungantiwar said.
The party would approach the Governor and President to
seek permission for filing private cases against Deshmukh, he
said.
Mungantiwar also disapproved of Chief Minister Prithviraj
Chavan's announcement that it may not be feasible to provide
houses in Mumbai for all mill workers. "This means you will be
throwing out a lakh families of mill workers out of Mumbai,"
he said.
"On the one hand, the government gives 22 acres to Ghai
free of cost and on the other, deprives the mill workers of
their dues," he added.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, February 12, 2012, 00:16