In a dramatic press conference held on Thursday, former minister and president of the Bahujan Republican Ekta Manch (BREM), Sulekha Kumbhare, launched a blistering attack on Maharashtra's revenue minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule. She leveled grave allegations of corruption, directly implicating him in an alleged land scam in Pune district linked to Parth Pawar.
Serious Allegations and a Demand for Resignation
Kumbhare did not mince words, labeling Bawankule as 'corrupt' and 'unfit' to hold a constitutional post. She demanded his immediate resignation from the state cabinet. The core of her accusation is that Bawankule is a partner in the controversial land dealings in Pune, a case that has already drawn significant political attention.
This explosive charge marks a new low in the relationship between BREM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who were once political allies. The rift turned into an open war during the recent Kamptee Municipal Council elections held on Tuesday. The BJP's decision to contest independently prompted BREM to field its own candidate, Ajay Kadam, for the post of municipal president.
Election Fraud Claims in Kamptee
Beyond the land scam allegations, Kumbhare accused the BJP's Kamptee nominee, Ajay Agrawal, of orchestrating large-scale electoral malpractice. She claimed that Agrawal's team collected Aadhaar cards from impoverished voters, offering them Rs. 5,000 each, and then prevented them from casting their votes to facilitate bogus voting.
"Rahul Gandhi's allegations of vote theft during the Assembly polls have now been proven in Kamptee," Kumbhare stated, linking the local incident to a national political narrative. When Agrawal countered with allegations of a conspiracy, Kumbhare used the press conference to launch a scathing rebuttal, targeting both Agrawal and Minister Bawankule simultaneously.
A Complete Break and Broader Indictments
Kumbhare's rhetoric pointed to a permanent severing of ties with the BJP. She asserted that the BJP had 'murdered democracy' in Kamptee and declared that her party would never again enter into an alliance with them. She extended her criticism to state institutions, claiming, "The Election Commission is no longer independent. Maharashtra is heading the Bihar way, and the BJP is responsible."
In a personal jab at Bawankule, Kumbhare expressed regret for her past praise of his development work during the Assembly elections. "Bawankule is so corrupt that I should have said he focused only on personal development," she alleged, starkly contrasting public service with personal gain.
The allegations have set the stage for a major political confrontation in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region. With serious charges of both financial corruption in a land scam and electoral fraud, the pressure is now on Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and the BJP state leadership to issue a detailed response.
