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Supriya Sule Demands Dhananjay Munde’s Resignation Over Beed Sarpanch Murder Case
NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde on "moral grounds" over his alleged links to the Beed sarpanch murder case.
Addressing reporters, Sule criticized the BJP-led state government for not taking action against Munde despite 50 days passing since the brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. She alleged that even leaders within the ruling Mahayuti alliance wanted Munde to step down.
Deshmukh was abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9, 2024, for allegedly attempting to prevent an extortion bid targeting an energy firm in Beed district.
While seven people have been arrested in connection with the murder, Munde’s close associate, Walmik Karad, has been arrested separately in an extortion case linked to the crime. Karad is currently in judicial custody.
Munde, who holds the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet, belongs to the NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Drawing a comparison with previous cases, Sule pointed out that former ministers like Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik, and Chhagan Bhujbal had faced swift action over allegations against them.
"Anil Deshmukh resigned as home minister after being accused in a ₹100 crore bribery case. Nawab Malik and Chhagan Bhujbal were jailed based on hearsay allegations," Sule said. "If I were a minister and my party was in controversy for 50 days, I would have resigned to protect its image."
Sule also raised concerns about a possible "office of profit" violation, citing activist Anjali Damania’s allegations that Munde and his wife were partners in two firms that received contracts from MAHAGENCO, the state-owned power generation company, for fly ash removal.
Referring to a similar case in the past, Sule recalled how Congress leader Sonia Gandhi resigned from the Lok Sabha in 2006 over office of profit allegations. "She was not even a minister, yet she stepped down immediately," she added.
