Beed murder: Ajit Pawar urges Fadnavis to rap BJP MLA ‘targeting’ Munde

MUMBAI: The blowback from the Beed sarpanch’s murder has deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar engaged in some heavy duty firefighting. Pawar has urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to rein in BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, who has been relentlessly demanding the dismissal of state food and civil supplies minister Dhananjay Munde.

Dhas has also alleged that a meeting to discuss an extortion bid linked to the murder of the sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh, was held at the Beed residence of Munde, an NCP minister elected from Palri in Beed. Dhas is also a local MLA from Beed, elected from Ashti assembly constituency.

Pawar met Fadnavis on Monday after Munde requested him to intervene. The NCP chief is believed to have urged Fadnavis to ask Dhas to tone it down. “His onslaught is tarnishing the NCP’s image hence Pawar wants this to end now,” said a senior NCP leader.

There have been growing demands from across the political spectrum for Munde’s dismissal, for his close links to Beed strongman Walmik Karad, the alleged mastermind of the sarpanch’s murder. However, Pawar believes it is premature to ask Munde to step down, pointing out that the investigation into Deshmukh’s murder is underway and there is no reason to demand the minister’s dismissal at this stage.

Senior BJP leaders say that state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has asked Dhas to refrain from attacking Munde. However, Dhas has not been altogether muzzled as the ruling party cannot be seen to be going soft on the accused in the murder.

“Although Dhas appears to have made his crusade against Munde almost personal, the BJP has not silenced him as it is a very serious case,” said a BJP leader. “Also, the case has various angles, including that of the caste, local politics, apart from a major law-and-order failure in the district. The leadership wants to resolve the case logically,” said the senior BJP leader.

Another leader said that as far as action against Dhananjay Munde is concerned, both Fadnavis and Pawar have together decided to wait until the investigation progresses to a certain stage,” he said.

But Suresh Dhas, it seems, is unmoved. The BJP MLA, who attended a march to demand justice for Deshmukh at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Tuesday, repeated his demand to see ‘Karad’s mastermind’ Dhanajay Munde behind bars. “Deshmukh was killed just because he opposed the extortion bid and tried to save a Dalit security guard at the power company. He had confronted the extortionists who had beaten up the guard. The accused, their mastermind and the mastermind’s boss should be put behind bars. They should face the fate of Salman Khan’s character in the film ‘Tere Naam’,” he said.

Dhananjay Deshmukh meets CM

Dhananjay Deshmukh, brother of slain sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Tuesday and demanded that action against the accused in his brother’s murder be expedited. Deshmukh demanded stricter action against Walmik Karad, for his alleged involvement in the murder. “I am meeting the CM to demand an impartial inquiry and justice for my brother and his family,” he said just before the meeting.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and state environment minister Pankaja Munde, a cousin of Dhananjay Munde, broke her silence on Tuesday. When asked to comment on the demand for the dismissal of Dhananjay Munde, Pankaja said, “The decision has to be taken by the minister in question, his party chief, and the chief of the government. It does not fit in with my protocol as a minister to comment on this,” she said. When asked about the transfer of officers in Beed, Pankaja said she was not involved in active politics for the last five years and had no role in these appointments.