MUMBAI: Following the controversy over his son Siddhant buying a star hotel in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for ₹67 crore, social justice minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat on Monday announced that Siddhant would withdraw from the auction. The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) had alleged that the hotel was worth ₹110 crore but was being auctioned for ₹67 crore. It also questioned how Siddhant, who had declared ₹59 lakh as his annual income, could raise such a huge amount to buy the hotel.
Addressing a press conference, Shirsat said that he had asked his son to withdraw from the auction process (although they won it). He also came down heavily on Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and opposition leader in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve who had raised questions on the deal.
“Many shareholders of the hotel had problems with the owners, and the courts had asked for an auction,” said Shirsat. “There were no tenders filed the first seven times. The eighth time, my son and his friends decided to bid.”
Shirsat claimed that the payment to make a bid was a nominal ₹10 lakh to 15 lakh. “But people made all kinds of foolish statements,” he said. “They should have been allowed to complete the process. As per the court order, we had to pay the money in white, but even before the process began, we got negative publicity. Claims were also made that we were purchasing the hotel for ₹110 crore. Hence my son has decided to withdraw his bid.”
Danve and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut had raised several questions over the deal. Danve had claimed that the property was worth ₹110 crore and questioned how it was being given to Shirsat’s son for just ₹67 crore. He also asked Shirsat to explain how his son could raise ₹67 crore, given that his declared annual income was ₹59 lakh, and also told the minister to disclose who the partners in the bid were. “Shinde’s party is looting Maharashtra,” said Raut.
Shirsat responded to the allegations, saying that Siddhant was raising the money through a bank loan. “However as questions were being raised unnecessarily, I told my son it was better to withdraw his bid,” he said. “A political attack is okay. But don’t attack my houses and children. If anyone launches a personal attack, I will set your houses on fire,” he raged.
The hotel, VITS, was earlier owned by a businessman in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and subsequently by Ramesh Havele’s Dhanada Corporation. After it ran into financial problems, the courts asked the sub-divisional officer to deposit its profits in court so that the hotel workers could be paid.