Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil said in Parbhani on Saturday that Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, who has been accused of being the political godfather of the alleged killer of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, will not be allowed to roam the streets.

Speaking at an all-party meet organised in Parbhani district, Patil said, “We have received information that murdered village Santosh Deshmukh’s brother Dhananjay Deshmukh was threatened at the police station. I am not taking anyone’s name. However, from now on, if Santosh Deshmukh’s family or his brother Dhananjay Deshmukh gets affected, we will not let Dhananjay Munde roam the streets. We have tolerated the loss of one of our brothers. So far, we have not taken anyone’s name, but from now on, if the Deshmukh family is troubled, we will not let even one of them roam the streets”.

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Incidentally, Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader as well as the minister Dhananjay Munde happens to be from the OBC Vanjari caste while Manoj Jarange Patil is from the Maratha caste. It may be recalled that on Friday, MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP had demanded the resignation of the minister and conveyed their demand to NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who happens to be a Maratha.

Sources had said that Munde’s NCP party colleagues MLAs have insisted on his resignation due to Munde’s closeness to Valmik Karad, who is an accused in the murder of Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLAs took the step since they are wary of losing the support of the Maratha caste group if they are seen favouring Dhananjay Munde, who happens to be an OBC Vanjari caste leader, sources had said.

MLA Prakash Solanke who is from Ajit Pawar’s NCP had also demanded that Dhananjay Munde should resign until the investigation into the murder is completed. “Valmik Karad is a close associate of Dhananjay Munde. Dhananjay Munde should step down from the ministerial post until the investigation is complete and the accused is punished, otherwise he must be sacked,” Solanke said.

Manoj Jarange Patil, who has been vocal about the Maratha reservation issue, has also demanded narco tests on all the accused in the extortion and murder cases, suggesting that there is a much larger racket involving political backing to all the criminals involved. He criticised the government’s handling of the situation, claiming that the authorities are shielding the accused, some of whom have been hiding for a long time, allegedly, with the help of ministers and MLAs.

Patil also alleged that the government is protecting the accused, tarnishing the reputation of Beed and Pune. He warned that the case would not be allowed to fade away, stating that anybody involved in helping the criminals, including those whose vehicles were used in the crime, should also be held accountable. Patil claimed that the number of accused in the Masajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case could even go upto 50 or 60.