MUMBAI: Cash worth Rs 91.50 lakh in recalled currency denominations of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 were seized from a vehicle of Maharashtra Minister for Cooperation Subhash Deskhmukh who looks after the cooperative sector.Deshmukh said that the cash belonged to the Lok Mangal Multistate Bank under his control. He told reporters that the money seized on Wednesday was meant for paying salaries of sugarcane labourers but told the State Election Commission that the money was being transported to another branch of the bank.It was not clear why sugarcane labourers were paid in currencies that ceased to be a legal tender but the BJP minister claimed the money was dispatched from the bank on November 5 but the bank could not make payments till PM announced their recall.Deshmukh has not been able to explain why the salaries were not paid in the three days prior to the announcement or why cash was not sent back to the bank even eight days after the currencies seized to be a legal tender.Opposition parties have demanded that the state government sack the minister. “Is this the reason Union FM Arun Jaitley has no faith in the co-operative banks in Maharashtra as the Cooperative Minister himself is involved in such deals? I am waiting to see how Fadnavis will give him a clean chit.I don’t see any other way. Fadnavis should accept his resignation,” said ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan. “A co-operative minister is involved in converting black money into white and has been caught redhanded and yet the state government is not taking any action on it.We will raise it in Parliament,” said NCP leader Nawab Malik. BJP insiders say Deshmukh is close to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.