Former Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse today turned philosophical while warning his "detractors" in the Legislative Assembly and denied as "unsubstantiated" various allegations levelled against him.
Khadse, the senior-most member of BJP and a political heavyweight from north Maharashtra, also expressed "pain" over being relegated to the fourth row in Treasury benches in the House.
"Those who made wild allegations against me have till date failed to substantiate them. Nobody sought my resignation. I resigned on my own," Khadse said during a debate on the issue of corruption charges against ministers.
This was the first time Khadse, who quit after a string of corruption charges including a land deal, made a detailed statement in the House about the issues leading to his resignation.
"I want to tell my detractors that the fate which has befallen me, will be yours tomorrow," the BJP leader said, adding he was "pained" to be relegated to the fourth row in Treasury benches in the Assembly.
"I did not sit in the fourth row even when I first became an MLA," Khadse said.
AAP leaders Anjali Damania and Preeti Sharma Menon had levelled baseless allegations and the so-called hacker Manish Bhangale also did his bit in maligning my image, Khadse claimed.
"It is preposterous to say that I was in telephonic conversation with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Khadse can be anyone but not a traitor ... ATS has said there was no truth in the charge," he said, adding truth shall prevail.
On allegation that he was involved in an "illegal" purchase of MIDC land in Pune's Bhosari area, Khadse said, "MIDC began the land acquisition process in 1968, but as of now, MIDC is not owner of this land. MIDC hasn't paid any compensation to the original land owner."
Those who made all these "baseless" charges have destroyed my over 40-year-old political life, Khadse said.
