Maharashtra: Bank to e-auction sugar mill controlled by BJP leader Pankaja Munde to recover dues

Pankaja Munde. File Pic

Bank to e-auction sugar mill controlled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde to recover dues, reported news agency PTI.

State-owned Union Bank of India has put out a notice for the e-auction of a cooperative sugar mill controlled by the family of BJP national secretary Pankaja Munde to recover dues worth Rs 203.69 crore, reported PTI.

As per a notice published by the bank in local newspapers on Tuesday, the e-auction of the Vaidyanath Cooperative Sugar Factory would be held on January 25, reported PTI.

The auction notice mentions the name of Munde and several others persons as "debtors, guarantors and mortgagees", reported PTI.

As per the notice, the Ahmednagar regional office of the bank has taken up the process to recover the dues worth Rs 203.69 crore, reported PTI.

In September last year, Munde, who has been sidelined in state politics, confirmed that the mill controlled by her family had received a notice from the Goods & Services Tax (GST) department and claimed that barring this sugar mill, many other factories got financial aid from the Union government, reported PTI.

She said the sugar mill was started by her father, late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, in a difficult situation and she ran it despite hardships, reported PTI.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation became difficult and now the factory is in the bank's possession," she had said.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde had said it would not be a good decision for any party not to give her a ticket for the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.

"Why would my party not field me....It would not be a good decision for any party not to give election ticket to a candidate like me. If they take such a decision, they will have to answer people's questions," Pankaja Munde said to a question.

Pankaja, who was defeated in 2019 in Parli assembly seat by her estranged cousin and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, also said she was not looking for a new constituency.

"I will also not replace my sister (Lok Sabha member Pritam Munde)," Pankaja Munde added, reported PTI.

On her 2019 defeat, Pankaja Munde said, "You need to see the number of votes that got diverted due to some candidates... If some 15,000 votes (of Dhananjay Munde) had got divided, I would have won the election."

On sympathetic comments made about her by NCP leader Supriya Sule, Pankaja Munde said, "Perhaps she is going through now what I had gone through some 10-12 years ago."

(With inputs from PTI)