Book will expose 'conspiracy' behind my cabinet ouster: Khadse

The senior BJP leader also charged former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with having direct or indirect hand behind the series of allegations levelled against him in the past. Khadse, once seen as No. 2 in the Fadnavis cabinet, resigned as revenue minister in 2016 over land grab allegations and since then he has been largely sidelined in the party.

Disgruntled Maharashtra BJP leader Eknath Khadse on Thursday said he will come out with a book to highlight the "conspiracy" that eventually saw his ouster as a minister from the Devendra Fadnavis government four years ago. Khadse said the book will be titled Nanasaheb Fadnavisanch Shadyantra (conspiracy).

Nanasaheb Fadnavis was a minister during the Peshwa administration and was often referred to as Maratha Machiavelli. The senior BJP leader also charged former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with having direct or indirect hand behind the series of allegations levelled against him in the past.

Khadse, once seen as No. 2 in the Fadnavis cabinet, resigned as revenue minister in 2016 over land grab allegations and since then he has been largely sidelined in the party. Speaking to reporters in Jalgaon, his home district, after a book on him was launched, Khadse maintained he was "clean", but then Chief Minister Fadnavis avoided declaring so.

As if (part of) some conspiracy, allegations were levelled against me one after the other. I was impelled to resign, Khadse added. The 68-year-old former minister said such an atmosphere was created in the eyes of the party's senior leaders that he was made to look like a corrupt person.

Khadse said he had met Fadnavis several times and told the latter that he was clean. He (Fadnavis) said it (graft charges) will be probed and all.... Lokayukta, ACB did not find any wrongdoing on my part.

"There was a need to give me justice. But unfortunately, only I was not given a clean chit. All others who, too, had faced charges, were given a clean chit, said the veteran politician who was denied assembly poll ticket in 2019. Khadse said he had urged the then CM to keep the truth that he was clean before the House when the previous Assembly met the last time ahead ofelections last year.

But Fadnavis unfortunately refrained from doing so, he added. It is my understanding, it is my view that there is Devendra jis direct, indirect hand in this. The documents I have with me now point towards it, Khadse alleged.

Khadse said he is studying the documents in detail and will share the same with senior leaders of the party. I am going to write a book on this entire episode.

I have already started writing the book. The name of the book will be 'Nanasaheb Fadnavisanch Shadyantra' (conspiracy), he said. Khadse said he will narrate in the book along with evidence how the conspiracy was hatched and he was sidelined "with a motive".

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