No escape now: Rohit Pawar targets Sanjay Shirsat for CIDCO land scam

After state minister Sanjay Shirsat recently hinted at retiring from politics his statement has stirred intense debate in Maharashtrarsquos political circles Responding sharply MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday lashed out at Shirsat linking his remarks to the alleged CIDCO land scamldquoDidnrsquot you think of stopping when you were benefiting from CIDCO deals Now that yoursquore about to lose your ministerial post you suddenly want to retire from politics Donrsquot use age as an excuse to run awayrdquo Pawar said on X 27102025httpstcoM6K0fV7WrKmdash Rohit Pawar RRPSpeaks October 27 2025Shirsat who serves as the Minister for Social Justice and Guardian Minister of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar had said earlier ldquoIrsquove worked as a corporator for 10 years and as an MLA for 20 years Irsquove experienced everything I dreamed of Itrsquos time to stop nowrdquo His Diwalitime remark surprised his supporters and fueled speculation over whether he plans to exit politics or make way for the next generation of his familyIn his post Rohit Pawar accused Shirsat of misusing power saying ldquoYou deprived locals of their rightful land and handed CIDCO property worth thousands of crores to private builders and the Bivalkar family As long as people like you remain in politics the public will continue to suffer Donrsquot hide behind your age now yoursquoll have to account for every inch of the Rs 5000ndash6000 crore government land diverted into private hands No holidays nowrdquoPawar also challenged Shirsat to a direct debate ldquoYou decide the time and place Irsquoll answer your questions facetoface but you must answer mine toordquoShirsatrsquos comments have given fresh ammunition to the opposition which now seems more aggressive All eyes are on how he responds to the CIDCO land scam allegations and whether this controversy will lead to yet another minister facing political falloutWhat did Shirsat actually sayldquoIrsquove served as a corporator for 10 years and MLA for 20 years Irsquove achieved more than I ever imagined But as one grows older a time comes to stop Irsquove been thinking instead of running around daily shouldnrsquot I pause now It feels like the right timerdquo Shirsat saidHe clarified there was no political pressure or frustration behind his statement ldquoIrsquom 64 now and will soon turn 65 I have time until 2029 by then Irsquoll be 69 Naturally one must plan aheadrdquo he added hinting at an eventual retirementMeanwhile in a separate post on X today Rohit Pawar condemned the system over recent tragic deaths saying ldquoSantosh Deshmukh Somnath Suryawanshi Mahadev Munde Vaishnavi Hagawane and now Dr Sampada Munde these are not mere deaths but the result of a corrupt and decaying system If governance were in capable hands such tragedies could have been prevented But today power is used to silence opposition and protect vested interests If the government fails to act responsibly people must rise together to hold it accountable or else honest individuals will keep paying the price while we remain silent spectatorsrdquo hellipmdash Rohit Pawar RRPSpeaks October 27 2025