Pressure on the Maharashtra Food & Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde to resign in the Beed case has increased as anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania met the state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday. However, Munde ,who has been accused of protecting the alleged killers of Massajog villager sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, stated that nobody asked him to resign, after he met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis here today.

He said that though Damania met Ajit Pawar late Monday evening and gave him some documents, but nobody asked him to resign. “I will not speak about resignation. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will respond.” Munde said.

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The minister claimed that as per a Supreme Court statement, thermal power plant fly ash is a waste product which the plant is supposed to dispose off at its own expense. So there is no question about violating any rule related to ‘Office of Profit’ as alleged by Anjali Damania.

“From the very first day, I have demanded that killers of Santosh Deshmukh must be sentenced to death. There is no change in my role that the killers who murdered Santosh Deshmukh should be tried in a fast track court,” he said.

Earlier, the anti-corruption activist had met Pawar with evidence and documents regarding the role of Dhananjay Munde in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, and demanded that Munde must be asked to resign.

After meeting the Deputy CM, Anjali Damania had stated that, “I discussed with evidence about how Dhananjay Munde, his wife Rajashree Munde and Valmik Karad are all making profit out of fly ash. The Representation of the People Act 1949 has two Sections 1 (2) (a) and 1949 that no MLA or minister can make financial profit for himself or the house. Then I showed Ajit Pawar documents which prove how they make a profit from the Mahagenco thermal power plant. I also showed him evidence of the reign of terror unleashed by Valmik Karad in Beed. He looked at the evidence and said that the matter is serious. Ajit Pawar said that he has a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at 7 pm tomorrow (Tuesday) and at this meeting, the matter will be discussed”.

Damania also stated that “If they do not take action, I have already written to the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. I have requested them to file a suo moto case in this regard. Otherwise I am going to file a writ petition or a public interest petition”.

She also alleged that a physician called Dr Ashok Thorat who had treated murder accused Valmik Karad is the one who wrote the post-mortem report of murdered Massajog village sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh and demanded a probe against the doctor.

“It is being said that Valmik Karad was also treated by the same Dr Ashok Thorat. If this person is going to give all the details of Santosh Deshmukh’s post-mortem report, then I doubt whether he has taken the right action or not. Because these people are so corrupt, they do whatever they want for money,” Damania said.

“Ashok Thorat demanded Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) twice. The government rejected it because when there were such a large number of allegations and pending allegations against such a person, he was not even allowed to take VRS. If such a person is in Beed, then Valmik Karad will be kept at ease”,she added.

Valmik Karad was brought to the hospital for the first time, but he was sent after a basic examination. He was brought a second time, there was no need to bring him to the hospital, but he was kept there anyway. Then we shouted against it and moved him out of there,” Anjali Damania said.

“A big hotel called Piyush Inn was built by Dr Ashok Thorat. He also has a hospital. My fight is against a civil surgeon who is doing such things, who is committing corruption. Where did he get such immense wealth? He is a government employee. An inquiry should be conducted,” Damania further said.