Union Minister for Rural Development and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said the Adarsh Society land belonged to the state and was never reserved for defence personnel or Kargil war heroes.

In an affidavit filed before the two-member Adarsh Commission, set up to probe irregularities in scam-tainted Adarsh Society, Deshmukh said, "The records maintained with the office of the Collector of Mumbai clearly show that the land belonged to the state government. The ownership of the land was never an issue at any stage so far I am concerned."

Deshmukh's statement is similar to that of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who filed an affidavit in this regard last week.