Don't force me to quit, Eknath Khadse warns BJP

Eknath Khadse former revenue ministerEstranged BJP leader Eknath Khadse has issued an ultimatum to the party asking it not to force him to quit The former minister who quit in view of corruption charges in 2016 is angry that he has not been redrafted in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet even as general elections are approaching Speaking at a public function in Raver in his fiefdom Jalgaon district Khadse challenged the Fadnavis government to prove to the people that he was corrupt I want an answer now I have no desire to quit the party but Im being pushed out Dont force me to quit he saidPlenty of takersKhadses ultimatum came in the presence of exCM and state Congress president Ashok Chavan It was anall party felicitation of a local leader who turned 60 yesterday Besides Chavan former speaker and NCP leader Arun Gujarati exMP Ishwarlal Jain Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap BJP MLA Haribhau Jawale and Khadses daughterinlaw and BJP MP Raksha Khadse shared the dais with him Chavan promptly invited Khadse to the Congress fold Please do not wait to be forced out You decide we are ready for you he saidEarlier NCP leaders had openly offered Khadse to join their party after visiting his home in Muktainagar in Jalgaon but the BJP leader refused Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had publicly said that Khadse was warming up to NCP Khadse is among senior leaders credited for the rise of BJP in north Maharashtra and was tipped as one of the favourites for chief minister in 2014 After Fadnavis was raised to the CMs position Khadse was his number twoWhy is Khadse angryKhadse will not be able to make a comeback into the council of ministers because the Bombay High Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation PIL against him Khadse was asked to quit in June 2016 in view of corruption charges He was accused of facilitating the purchase of government land for his family when he was the revenue minister He was also accused of having telephonic conversations with fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim but this charge has fizzled out An inquiry commission was constituted under Justice D S Zoting to probe the land purchase charge The commission has submitted its report but the government hasnt made it public or acted upon itCM Fadnavis told the Assembly last December that the court refused to take cognisance of the Zoting committees report and directed the state to file an FIR against Khadse The case is with the ACB As long as the high court is hearing the case reinstating Khadse in the Cabinet would show the government poor lightCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereCatch up on all the latest Mumbai National and International news hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the goThe contentreporting displayed on our website wwwmiddaycom is provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE by us from third party agencies sources without any verification from our side It may contain error bugs and other limitations The readers can rely on the content at their own will Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability data text images video messages or any other material whatsoever or for any claimslossaction that the reader may suffer as a result of relying on the content on our site Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever