Congress' Sapkal rakes up Ajit Pawar's remarks to demand Mohol's resignation

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol alleging his involvement in the issuance of a passport to a known criminal Mohol however has already denied the allegation reported the PTISapkal referred to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawarrsquos press conference held on Friday to intensify his attack on the BJP leaderAjit Pawar had defended the decision to give election tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds for the upcoming civic polls stating that no individual can be termed a criminal until proven guilty He also cited allegations levelled against him in the past including the Rs 70000crore irrigation scam to underline his point according to the PTIHis remarks came after Mohol criticised the Nationalist Congress Party NCP for fielding candidates allegedly linked to criminal activitiesReference to fugitive gangsterIn an apparent reference to gangster Nilesh Ghaywal who reportedly fled the country while facing a firing case Pawar questioned who had facilitated his escape The Opposition has accused Mohol of playing a role in securing a passport for Ghaywal a charge the minister has rejectedldquoIt is a matter of grave concern for national security that a person with a known criminal background could obtain a passport through political influence This is a direct violation of the Passport Act 1967rdquo Sapkal said citing Ajit Pawarrsquos commentsCall for CBI probeSapkal demanded that Mohol who serves as Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation resign immediately He also called for a highlevel investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI to expose what he described as a politicalndashcriminal nexus as per PTIAttack on ruling coalitionCriticising the ruling Mahayuti alliance Sapkal said those who once labelled Pawar the ldquoking of corruptionrdquo were now sharing power with him exposing the double standards of the coalition The Mahayuti comprises the BJP the NCP led by Ajit Pawar and the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath ShindeldquoCorruption among those in power prevents accountability If the government is serious about its clean image it must explain how individuals facing serious allegations are being protectedrdquo Sapkal said the news agency reportedClaims of challenge to top leadershipSapkal further claimed that Pawarrsquos assertion of sharing power with leaders who once accused him amounted to a direct challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra FadnavisAllegations against assembly speakerThe Congress leader also urged the Election Commission to act on allegations against Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar who has been accused of violating the model code of conduct during the ongoing civic election process reported PTINarwekar the BJP MLA from Colaba in south Mumbai has dismissed the accusations as baseless and politically motivatedldquoThe Election Commission should act if not in deference to public opinion then at least guided by its conscience An offence should have been registered by now but the Commission appears to be acting at the behest of the BJPrdquo Sapkal allegedElections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra will be held on January 15 with counting scheduled for the following daywith PTI inputs