Still facing punishment despite court's 'clean chit' in scam case, says Dhananjay Munde

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Oct 2 (PTI) NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde on Thursday said despite getting a "clean chit" from court in an alleged scam case, he was facing the punishment.

Munde, who belonged to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, resigned in March this year, days after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as the mastermind in Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder in December last year.

In August this year, activist Anjali Damania alleged that Munde caused a file containing a report on complaints of corruption in the Maharashtra agriculture department to disappear during his tenure as a minister. Munde was agriculture minister in the previous Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government. He held a different portfolio in the current government but resigned.

Addressing a Dussehra rally at Sawargaon Ghat of Beed district along with cousin and BJP minister Pankaja Munde, he said, "Earlier when I was going through a media trial, I was supported by my sister and Mahayuti. Some moved the court alleging my involvement in a scam. The court gave me a clean chit and fined the petitioner. But I am still facing the punishment." Referring to the recent heavy rains and floods, he said till a few days ago, the situation was not conducive to organise this rally.

"But Pankaja decided to organise this rally as it is an annual practice. Today, I am just an MLA, but my sister is in the cabinet. She will get the maximum aid for the affected farmers," he said.

He said it was commendable that Pankaja was carrying forward the legacy of the Dussehra rally.

On the issue of quota, he said taking the reservation of someone and giving it to someone else was not acceptable.

"Whenever a question of reservation for any community arises I have fought for them and people know it. We are happy that the Maratha community got reservation. Some of them want quota under the OBC category." "The cut off of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) result this year was 485 and for THE Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category, it was 450. If I was eligible to avail the EWS benefit, I would have passed with less marks. But those availing reservation under the OBC category fail even after scoring more marks," he said.

"You should increase a community's quota, but taking it from someone and giving it to someone else will not be accepted," Munde added, referring to Maratha activist Manoj Jarange's demand to give quota to Marathas under the OBC category and the government's GR to that effect. PTI AW NP