Nagpur: Replying to the Opposition’s demand for a judicial probe in the Navi Mumbai land allotment case, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday declared that he was ready for any inquiry. Mr Fadnavis, however, did not announce the setting up of any inquiry committee. The chief minister admitted that builders were purchasing land from project-affected persons but clarified that he would not take back the powers of allotment of land from the collector of Satara. Furthermore, the chief minister refused to grant a stay on Paradise Builders developing the plot.

Asked about the allegations levelled by the Opposition on the Navi Mumbai land allotment, Mr Fadnavis said, “This practice has been going on for many years and the previous government had done such allotments in more than 200 cases. Project-affected persons had approached the high court in the past to get the right to sell their land. So the government can’t ban them for selling land for 10 years (a demand raised by the Opposition in the wake of the alleged scandal). If this provision has to be imposed, the government needs to take them into confidence.”

Mr Fadnavis further threatened to open a can of worms for the Opposition. “I will answers all these allegation about the Navi Mumbai land and open the relations of ‘Chacha-Bhatija’ with then-ruling party leaders.”