Pressure mounts for Dhananjay Munde’s resignation, Ajit still non-committal

A day after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar left it to NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde to take the call on his resignation, NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad said enough hints had been given to the minister to resign and take moral responsibility

MUMBAI: NCP chief Ajit Pawar’s statement on whether or not his party MLA and cabinet colleague Dhananjay Munde should resign has raised eyebrows in political corridors. Ajit on Sunday declared that the decision to resign should come from Munde himself.

Mumbai, India - February 28, 2023: Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Ajit Pawar and MLA Dhananjay Munde arrive in Vidhan Bhavan during the second day of Budget Session, at Vidhan Bhavan, Nariman Point, in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

“Munde has no connection to the case; there should be substance in the allegations,” he said in defence of his colleague. “However, I had tendered my resignation in 2011 as water resources minister on moral grounds. Former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned after a train accident. But many others have refused to quit under similar circumstances. You should ask Munde whether he will quit on moral grounds.”

Apart from his closeness to Walmik Karad, the man who stands accused of the brutal murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, Munde is facing serious allegations of corruption. Ajit, who held a meeting of senior NCP leaders on the issue last week, had still stood staunchly by Munde, also including him in the core group of the party on Friday despite the stink raised by the charges against him. His relative climbdown on Sunday is being seen as the result of mounting pressure on him from all sides.

The two other ruling parties, the BJP and Shiv Sena, have declared that Munde’s resignation is the “internal matter of the NCP”, albeit in a loaded way. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the call had to be taken by Ajit Pawar. Shiv Sena leader and social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat said, “Any party worker or leader abides by the decision taken by the party leader. If Ajit Pawar takes a call (on sacking Munde), Munde will have to follow it. Pawar will have to act.”

The mounting pressure for Munde’s resignation is believed to also arise from internal politics within the ruling Mahayuti. The NCP leadership believes that the secret meeting between BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and Munde three weeks ago was leaked by some leaders in the ruling parties. Dhas had opened a front against Munde by exposing his links with Karad and his involvement in the corruption cases. However, he has suffered a loss of face owing to the secret meeting.

Meanwhile, the anger among the villagers of Massajog and other parts of Beed district is rising. Krishna Andhale, one of the seven accused in the sarpanch murder case, is still at large 70 days after the murder, and the villagers convened a meeting on Monday evening to decide the further course of action. They demanded that Andhale be immediately arrested and criminal cases be filed against the people shielding him and supporters of the other accused. They have also asked for the appointment of special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam in the case and action against the policemen who helped the accused.