Beed sarpanch murder: Dhananjay Munde should stay out of cabinet to ensure a fair probe, demands NCP MLA Prakash Solanke

Dhananjay Munde. File Pic

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Prakash Solanke on Saturday suggested that the party leader and minister Dhananjay Munde be ousted from the Maharashtra ministry to ensure a fair probe in the Beed sarpanch murder case, reported the PTI.

Prakash Solanke is the first NCP leader and second from the Mahayuti coalition to target Dhananjay Munde, an MLA from Beed district in Maharashtra.

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BJP MLA Suresh Dhas has been criticising Dhananjay Munde, without taking his name, for crime in Beed district.

"When he was guardian minister of Beed for five years, Munde delegated all powers and authority to his close aide Walmik Karad who has been arrested in an extortion case (in connection with Deshmukh's murder)," Solanke told reporters, according to the PTI.

He alleged Karad became an "unconstitutional authority" in Beed where lawlessness and extortion became rampant and anti-social elements called the shots.

"Munde should stay out of the cabinet to ensure a fair probe in the sarpanch's murder. If he is unwilling, the (NCP) leadership should ask him to do so. I have spoken to (Deputy CM) Ajit Pawar and (Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis, and also publicly," said Solanke, who represents the Majalgaon assembly constituency in Beed district, as per the PTI.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 for attempting to stop an extortion bid on an energy firm operating a windmill project in the region.

Walmik Karad has been arrested in the extortion case in connection with the murder.

Police so far arrested six out of seven persons named in the murder case.

Meanwhile, earlier, NCP state president Sunil Tatkare on Friday said whosoever is guilty in the sarpanch murder case should face trial in a fast-track court and get the strictest punishment, reported the PTI.

Tatkare, however, parried a question on whether NCP minister Dhananjay Munde will be asked to resign as his close aide Walmik Karad is at the centre of a controversy and is an accused in an extortion case linked to the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder.

The opposition has been demanding that Walmik Karad be booked for Santosh Deshmukh's murder. He has been booked in an extortion case.

(with PTI inputs)