Under pressure to quit, Dhananjay Munde petitions Sharad Pawar

Dhananjay Munde says he had a consensual relationship with the elder sister of the accuser and they had two children whom he has given his name. Pic/Atul Kamble

AMID the growing demand for his resignation over accusations of rape and concealing personal information, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister, Dhananjay Munde, petitioned his party boss Sharad Pawar on Wednesday.

Munde has denied the charge of rape saying he was being blackmailed. He said he had a consensual relationship with the elder sister of the accuser and the couple had two children whom he has given his name. "The children stay with my family," he has said in a prolonged social media post, adding that the mother has been provided for by him in the best possible manner. He said he has moved court in the case seeking justice against the blackmail.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked for Munde's resignation because he has accepted certain facts that go against him legally and morally. "If he doesn't resign, then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar should ask him to quit. I appeal to Munde to take a call first. If nothing happens even after our demand, the BJP will take to the streets," said state BJP president Chandrakant Patil. Patil said the rape accusations could be verified and investigated into, but Munde's confession was serious. "Nothing about his relationship or children has been mentioned in the election affidavit," he said.

BJP's youth wing has demanded a probe by the Central agencies under the Hindu Marriage Act and wants the sisters to be protected. BJP senior leader Kirit Somaiya lodged a complaint before the Election Commission seeking enquiry into the concealed information. State NCP president Jayant Patil said everything must be verified before coming to a conclusion. "It takes a lifetime to make a political career," he said.