All rules followed in BJP office land deal, 'grabbers' shouldn’t question us: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Oct 27 Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asserted that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had strictly followed all rules of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) while purchasing land in south Mumbai for the state party office, saying that "people who are in the habit of grabbing land should not ask us questions".

He was responding to the criticism by the Shiv Sena-UBT and NCP-SP, which had questioned the manner and speed of the land transaction, alleging that stipulated rules were bypassed. Fadnavis was speaking at a function after Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the Maharashtra BJP office.

CM Fadnavis said he was fully aware that the Opposition would raise objections. “I knew that when we take land for the office, some unscrupulous people would be sitting there, ready to ask questions every day. That is why I said from day one that we do not want government land. While purchasing it, we will follow all the rules of the municipal corporation because all lands here are leased lands. We have to take permission and we have to pay money,” he said.

“I clearly told the party office-bearers that everything should be done according to the rules. We don’t want exemptions, we don’t want shortcuts. If a common man or even a builder buys a plot, the Bharatiya Janata Party will do the same. We have taken all the permissions, completed all procedures, and this land was bought by the Bharatiya Janata Party by spending its own money,” he added.

He said everyone wanted the state BJP unit to have a proper office in Mumbai. “For that, we were looking for land. We were trying to get affordable private land instead of government land. Manoj Kotak (former party MP) found this land in south Mumbai. There were many problems with it, and we resolved them one by one. Gradually, we acquired this land. Some people have now raised questions on it. I want to tell them, the Bharatiya Janata Party does not live in a glass house. Don’t try to throw stones at us,” he warned.

Earlier, NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar strongly objected to the land chosen for the BJP’s state headquarters. “The land of the BJP office where the ‘bhoomi pujan’ is being held in Mumbai today is lease land. It is Schedule W land and the lease renewal has not been done. Can Schedule W lease land be sold if the lease renewal is pending? Will the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner clarify this?” he asked in a post on X.

He further said, “If groundwork is being laid to sell Schedule W lease land, will many important lands like Mahalaxmi Racecourse also be thrust into the throats of private people tomorrow? Just as all media houses were called to suppress the Jain boarding case in Pune, it is understood that calls have also been made today for this land in Mumbai. Therefore, this matter is serious and the Commissioner must clarify. If the Commissioner does not clarify, we will meet him tomorrow and demand to see the file.”

Meanwhile, a Shiv Sena-UBT MP wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the land where the BJP office will come up. “Marine Lines has still not received its Marathi language building. Even after the foundation stone, the Marathi language building has not moved forward and no one is paying attention. However, today, the Union Home Minister is coming to Mumbai to perform the foundation stone ceremony for a five-star BJP office,” he claimed.

“The file for helping farmers in Marathwada has not moved. Even after Diwali, farmers have not received relief. But the file for the BJP’s five-star headquarters moved with the speed of Rafale. The secret of this speed lies under the ground itself. Amit Shah is doing the bhoomi pujan today -- when he strikes the hoe, the truth will also be unearthed,” he alleged.

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