MUMBAI: A day after a row erupted over irregularities in a Rs 300 crore Pune land deal involving a firm linked to his son Parth, deputy CM Ajit Pawar said Friday the deal had been cancelled. At the same time, he defended his son, saying only a sale agreement had been made, the final transaction was not complete and “not even one paisa” had been paid. Though Ajit had said Thursday that he had heard “3-4 months ago something like this was going on,” he maintained Friday he was totally unaware of the issue. “Neither I nor my office made any phone calls, gave any help or had any knowledge of this transaction at any stage. If I knew about it, I would have said so,” he said. Asked why Parth’s name was excluded from the FIR, Ajit said, “Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule made a statement that FIRs were lodged against those who signed.” He also appeared to hint that Parth may have been unaware the plot of land belonged to the government.

State government Friday formed a committee led by additional chief secretary (revenue) Vikas Kharge to probe the land deal. Bawankule said a detailed report will be submitted by the panel within a month. CM Devendra Fadnavis, meanwhile, said, “Let us wait for the report. Whoever is found guilty must face action, even Ajit Pawar will agree.” Ajit met Fadnavis in the afternoon, leading to speculation about whether the issue was discussed. “My son says the proposed deal was within the ambit of law… However, in public life, we must not allow even the suspicion of wrongdoing. Since allegations have been made, he has agreed to cancel the deal,” Ajit said in a statement to the media. (With inputs from Nisha Nambiar in Pune)