The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra unit chief Raosaheb Danve on Friday said former state revenue minister Eknath Khadse will soon return to the state Cabinet, PTI reported. At a rally in Khadse’s native Muktainagar, Danve said the land scam-accused minister was the leader of the “entire” state whose presence was “very much there” in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government even though he was currently not a part of it.

Following Danve’s comments, Khadse said that while he had “strived to change the face of the BJP from being a party of traders” to one that appealed to all sections of society, he was “pained by having to fight” against members of his own party. “Whether I am in power or not, I have enjoyed love and affection of party cadres,” he said.

The former minister resigned in June following allegations that he had illegally purchased government land and had received calls from underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Party leadership reportedly felt there was “impropriety” in the land scam. Khadse had allegedly purchased three acres of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation land in Bhosari at a price of Rs 3.75 crore, while the market value of the plot was Rs 40 crore. The Congress had demanded Khadse’s arrest in the matter.