Dhananjay Munde should resign over Deshmukh murder case: Supriya Sule

NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Wednesday said that Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, who is under fire over the Beed sarpanch murder case, should resign on "moral grounds." Talking to reporters here, she said 50 days have passed after Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's gruesome murder, but despite fingers being pointed at Munde's close associate, the NCP minister has not been sacked from the BJP-led government.

Munde's close aide Walmik Karad has been arrested in an extortion case linked to the murder. Munde currently holds the Food and Civil Supplies portfolio in the Devendra Fadnavis-led cabinet. Deshmukh was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, 2024, for allegedly trying to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy firm in Beed district.

Police have arrested seven persons in the murder case, while Karad was arrested in the extortion case and is in judicial custody. "Anil Deshmukh resigned as home minister after allegations of Rs 100 crore bribe were levelled against him. Nawab Malik, Chhagan Bhujbal were arrested on hearsay allegations and put in jail," she said.


While Anil Deshmukh belongs to the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, Bhujbal and Malik are with the NCP headed by deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Dhananjay Munde too belongs to Ajit Pawar's party. Sule, MP from Baramati, claimed that even leaders of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance wanted Munde to quit.

"I would have quit on moral grounds if I was a minister and my party was dominating headlines like this for 50 days. I would step back and tell my party that I am here to help the party grow and not to see my party harmed in such a manner,'' she said.

There was also an issue of "office of profit" in Dhananjay Munde's case, Sule said, referring to allegations by activist Anjali Damania that Munde and his wife were partners in two firms that got a contract from MAHAGENCO, a state-owned power generation company, to take away fly ash generated by its thermal power plants. ''Sonia Gandhi had immediately resigned after facing office of profit allegations. She was not even a minister," Sule said. The Congress leader had resigned as a Lok Sabha member in 2006 after being accused of holding an office of profit by being chairperson of the National Advisory Council.