Mumbai, Jul 4 (TOI): A day after the Congress targeted chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for facilitating a Rs 1,700 crore land deal in Kharghar, it appears that he is isolated as his colleagues have not come out in his defence.

It was expected that a high-level team of BJP ministers would interact with the media to refute the charges. But the task of defending the CM was entrusted to party spokesperson Madhav Bhandari. The Congress had alleged that there were irregularities in transfer of land allotted to Koyna project-affected persons to a Navi Mumbai-based builder in violation of rules. Fadnavis had refuted the allegations. Ever since Fadnavis took over, the Congress-led opposition had targeted education minister Vinod Tawde, rural development minister Pankaja Munde, food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat, tourism minister Jaikumar Rawal, housing minister Prakash Mehta, labour minister Sambhaji Patil-Nilangekar, minister of state for home Ranjeet Patil and tribal development minister Vishnu Savara. Fadnavis had defended them, and given a clean chit.

Fadnavis said on Tuesday that his government was ready to face any type of probe that the opposition would seek. Leader of opposition, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, had demanded a high court-monitored probe into the deal. Fadnavis said there was absolutely no wrongdoing in land transfers, which were handled by the district collector. Fadnavis also rubbished Vikhe-Patil's allegation that the chief minister was involved in the 'scam' as he also held urban development portfolio. "The land transfer is effected by the collector and these cases do no not even come before the CM or the urban development department," Fadnavis said, denying that the deals were done hurriedly in a few hours.