Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam accuses CM Fadnavis of protecting Housing Minister Ravindra Waikar

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of "shielding" junior Housing Minister Ravindra Waikar, who is facing allegations of land grab and alleged that kin of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray was also involved in "amassing" vast land.

Nirupam, who had earlier alleged that Waikar misused his office to get slum rehabilitation contracts, claimed at a press conference in Mumbai that he had documents in his possession to support his charge.

"I have the '7/12' (land title document) papers which prove that kin of Uddhav Thackeray and Ravindra Waikar are involved in amassing vast tracts of land in Konkan region. They bought almost 110 ares of land at Kolai village in Murud taluka in Raigadh district," Nirupam said. He demanded that the "source of funding for purchasing the land" be probed.

Stating that he is not against anybody from political class doing business or having personal ties, he said there is a "conflict of interest" involved in this matter.

Nirupam had accused Waikar of "usurping" 20 acres of land in city's green lung Aarey Colony and misusing his official position to secure a slum redevelopment project contract for a firm in which he is a partner. Waikar had dismissed the allegation, saying it was part of a political game to defame him.

Nirupam alleged that Fadnavis has "misled the legislature" on the issue by saying that no irregularities were found against Waikar and demanded an investigation into the issue. When contacted, Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande said, "My party did not want to offer any comment on the issue at this moment."