Maharashtra, BJP politicians seized temple land and skimmed off crores of rupees through Benami transactions: Nawab Malik

Nawab Malik, a Maharashtra Cabinet Minister, claimed on Tuesday that two BJP politicians from Beed district, MLC Suresh Dhas and former Ashti MLA Bhimrao Dhonde, had hijacked the temple land and syphoned off crores of rupees through Benami transactions. This remark came a day after the Enforcement Directorate searched five locations linked to Malik's son Faraz Malik in connection with a case in which a nationalised bank was defrauded of Rs 149.89 crores.

Ram Khade, a colleague in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has filed a complaint with the Enforcement Directorate against these illicit activities, according to the NCP leader. According to Malik, the BJP leaders amended and illegally transferred 513 acres of land in Beed belonging to religious places, including 300 acres of land belonging to temples and 213 acres of land belonging to mosques. Three Muslim shrines and seven Hindu temples shared the area.

Dargah Inam - Chinchpur Masjin Inam (60 acres), Rui Nalkol-Buha Devasthan (103 acres), and Devinimgaon-Masjid Inam are among the 213 acres of land (50 acres). Vithoba Devasthan at Murshidpur has 41.32 acres, Khandoba Devasthan has 35 acres, Shri Ram Devasthba (29 acres), Shriram Devasthan (15 acres) at Koyal has 15 acres, Chinchpur Ramchandradev Devasthan has 65 acres, Belgaum Khandobad Devasthan has 30 acres, and Khadakat Vithoba Devasthan has 30 acres (50 acres).

He further claimed that crores of rupees were syphoned out during the unlawful transaction, which took place between 2017 and 2020. The minister further said that BJP leaders, with the cooperation of the former Deputy Collector, transferred sacred land to private individuals and skimmed off crores of rupees.

Image Courtesy: @Officeof NM