Mumbai, March 4 (IANS) Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan on Tuesday evening accepted the resignation of Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde as per the recommendation of the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
A release issued by the Governor’s House said: “Maharashtra Governor CP Radhakrishnan has accepted the resignation of Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Dhananjay Munde as per the recommendation of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.”
Earlier, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Vidhan Bhavan told reporters that he has accepted Dhananjay Munde’s resignation from the Council of Ministers. Munde was the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection in the state government and his resignation comes amid escalating controversy around his close aide Walmik Karad being named as the mastermind in the murder case of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
While accepting the resignation, Fadnavis said: “Dhananjay Munde has submitted his resignation to me. I have accepted his resignation, and for further action, it has been forwarded to the Governor. Munde has been relieved from the minister’s post.”
Munde had submitted his resignation after the Chief Minister’s directive especially after photos and videos of brutal killing of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh gone viral in media on Monday.
His resignation comes after a high-level meeting held on Monday night between the Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar, the state NCP Sunil Tatkare and Munde.
Ajit Pawar in his reaction said that Munde has resigned on moral grounds. The state unit chief Sunil Tatkare said, “Munde has no link to the killing of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh as per the CID probe. However, as a responsible politician, Munde has resigned on the moral grounds.”
On the other hand, Munde said he resigned going by his conscious and medical condition. In his post on X, he further stated: “It has been my firm demand since day one that the accused in the brutal murder of the late Santosh Deshmukh of Massajog in Beed district should be given the strictest punishment. Seeing the photos that surfaced yesterday, I was deeply saddened. The investigation into this matter has been completed and the charge sheet has been filed in the court. Also, a judicial inquiry is proposed. Going by my conscious and also considering my health, which is not good for the past few days, the doctor has advised me to undergo treatment for the next few days, therefore, also for medical reasons, I have submitted my resignation from the cabinet to the Chief Minister.”
Munde’s cousin and BJP minister Pankaja Munde said Dhananjay Munde should have resigned earlier. She also added that Munde should not have taken the oath of office and secrecy. Had he not become the minister, the present situation should have been avoided.
However, opposition leaders lashed out at the MahaYuti government and NCP in particular over Munde’s resignation. Congress demanded that Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar should resign while Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray said that the MahaYuti government should be dismissed.
–IANS
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