Beed sarpanch killing: Ajit Pawar stands with Munde, delegation urges Governor to step in

MUMBAI: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has chosen to stand firm with Dhananjay Munde, the NCP minister caught in a political firestorm over the murder of a Beed sarpanch in December last year. On Monday Pawar, Nationalist Congress (NCP) party chief, was closeted with Munde for an hour in his office in the state secretariat, and in the evening, he drove to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s official residence at Malabar Hill, to discuss the rapidly unraveling situation with him.

Munde told the media that his resignation did not come up during the meeting, and that he met Pawar to apprise him of his plans for the food and civil supplies department that he heads. On the allegations against him, Munde said: “The government has appointed a CID SIT to probe the incident. Let the probe be completed. Why is there a media trial? The BJP MLA who is making allegations against me should ask the chief minister or their party chief first.”

Munde is the MLA from Parli in Beed district. His close aide, Beed strongman Walmik Karad, has been arrested in an extortion case linked to the horrific murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed. Deshmukh was tortured and killed, and his body tossed alongside a highway, allegedly because he foiled an attempt to extort money from a wind power company in his village.

His murder has opened a can of worms for the newly elected Mahayuti government as the chorus for Munde’s dismissal grows louder. Four massive protests have been held in various parts of the state, the latest on Sunday in Pune, demanding ‘justice for Deshmukh’. Significantly, the demand for Munde’s dismissal has come from leaders of opposition as well ruling parties, except the NCP, an ally in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance government.

However, on Monday, Pawar indicated that there was no question of asking Munde to step down. “Three different investigations, right from CID, SIT and judicial, are underway. Let the agencies complete their investigations and if the probe names anyone, action will be taken against them,” he said, while reacting to the demand for Munde’s dismissal. He declined to comment on details of his discussion with the minister.

In a related development, on Monday, a delegation of leaders from across the political spectrum, except the NCP, called on Governor C P Radhakrishnan, urging him to dismiss Munde from the state cabinet to ensure a fair investigation into the case. In a letter to the governor, they stated, “Murder and extortion going on in Beed underlines the failure of the government to maintain law and order in Beed district. Due to favoritism by the police and state government to protect the accused and his political masters, the people of the state have lost faith in the government. So we request your intervention in the demand for immediate resignation of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, which will ensure a free and fair investigation.”

Referencing Munde’s associate Walmik Karad, accused in the extortion case linked to Deshmukh’s murder, the letter added, “The extortion as well as the murder are interlinked. Action should be taken on the police for not performing their duty honestly and to ensure initiatives by the government to control the crime cases in Beed district.”

The delegation comprised leader of the opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve (Shiv Sena-UBT), Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, NCP (SP) Beed MP Bajrang Sonavane, MLAs from Beed district Suresh Dhas (BJP) and Sandip Kshirsagar (NCP-SP), Jyoti Mete (Shiv Sangram) and Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati (Maharashtra Swarajya Paksh). They met the governor a day after Suresh Dhas alleged that a meeting to discuss the plan to extort money from the wind power company in Massajog village was held at Dhananjay Munde’s residence in Beed.

While the NCP leadership is not pressuring Munde to resign, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is concerned about the image of his government, which took charge exactly a month ago. Senior NCP leaders, for their part, believe that since Munde is not linked to Deshmukh’s murder, per se, any action against him would send a wrong signal in the party. Party insiders fear that similar demands could be made in connection with other ministers every time an allegation is levelled. They are also worried that dismissing one of their ministers under these circumstances would tarnish the image of their party.

NCP state president Sunil Tatkare objected to Pawar being targeted by BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, for his refusal to act against Munde. “It was an unfortunate incident and should not be politicised,” Tatkare said, when asked about the demand for Munde’s dismissal. “We believe in CM Fadnavis and the matter should not be seen through the lens of politics,” he remarked, adding, “Against this backdrop, it would be absolutely wrong to criticise Ajit Dada (Pawar).”