Nagpur/Mumbai, April 4 Maharashtra Minister and senior BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule refuted allegations on Saturday that he and his family owned hundreds of acres of land and asserted that these were deliberate attempts to tarnish his image.
The state revenue minister said he would file a defamation suit worth Rs 10 crore against those behind such insinuations.
His comments come in the backdrop of a person being booked in Nagpur for allegedly uploading a video on social media that contained such claims.
Rameshwar Shivaji Darekar (39), a resident of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, who runs a Facebook page, uploaded a video on April 3 claiming that Bawankule and his family own around 1,147 acres of land in three villages in the Kamptee tehsil of Nagpur.
Darekar was booked on a complaint lodged by Nikhil Ingle, the social media coordinator of Bawankule, a police official said.
Ingle approached the Koradi police and filed a complaint, stating that the content was false and defamatory. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case against Darekar under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The video also contained objectionable language against the minister and his family, the complaint said.
"I am being falsely accused of owning 80 acres of land, whereas I actually own only 28 acres. There is a deliberate attempt to defame me, and a case has already been registered. I will file a defamation suit of Rs 10 crore against those concerned," Bawankule told reporters in Nashik.
Responding to media queries about alleged grabbing of houses reserved for economically weaker sections in a scheme in Nashik, Bawankule said it was a serious matter and those involved would not be spared, regardless of their influence.
He said a Special Investigation Team (SIT), comprising one IPS officer and two IAS officers, has been constituted to probe the matter and would submit its report within 15 days. He urged people to submit any evidence related to revenue irregularities to the SIT.
The minister alleged that 20 per cent of houses meant for the poor had been usurped and pointed to a nexus involving rapid land subdivision, record entries, and approval of layouts within a single day.
Strict action will be taken against officials, including those from the revenue and land records departments, if they are found to be involved, he added.
"Efforts would also be made to recover such properties from builders and restore them to eligible beneficiaries," Bawankule said.
Referring to certain videos circulating on social media, Bawankule said his remarks on farm loan waivers were being misrepresented to tarnish his image. Misleading content was being created to damage his reputation, the minister added.
He clarified his comments were aimed at ensuring that financially well-off individuals do not seek loan waivers meant for poor farmers.
He also expressed grief over the Dindori incident. Nine members of a family, including six children, were killed after their car fell into an open well in Shivaji Nagar area of Nashik's Dindori town.
The accident occurred around 10 pm on Friday when the victims were returning home after attending a function at a banquet hall in the area.
Bawankule said the state government would provide assistance to the kin of the deceased and the well would be permanently closed.
He also said various outreach initiatives were being conducted to deliver government schemes to beneficiaries and that efforts were underway to ensure their implementation across the state within the next three months.