The brutal murder of Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh has sparked outrage in Beed district and heightened political tensions statewide, with police arresting Valmik Karad and other key suspects in the case. While the investigation is progressing rapidly, public outrage continues to grow. Amid this, there is a persistent demand for the resignation of Minister Dhananjay Munde. On Saturday, an all-party protest march was held in Parbhani, attended by Maratha activists Manoj Jarange Patil, BJP MLA Suresh Dhas, NCP (SP) MP Bajrang Sonawane , Along with them, the late Santosh Deshmukh’s brother, Dhananjay Deshmukh, and his son were also present.
During the protest, demands for Minister Dhananjay Munde’s resignation were raised, with several speakers directly criticizing him by name. Now, NCP MLA from the Ajit Pawar faction, Prakash Solanke, has also demanded the resignation of Dhananjay Munde. Prakash Solanke stated, “The police have arrested two accused in the Beed case, and it seems that the Deshmukh family will get justice. However, until this justice is delivered, Minister Dhananjay Munde should be kept away from his position. I have made this demand. I have asked Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis to demand his resignation, and I have also spoken about it in a public meeting,” he said.
Until now, BJP MLA Suresh Dhas and MPs and MLAs from the NCP Sharad Pawar faction had been demanding Dhananjay Munde’s resignation. Now, with the MLAs from the NCP Ajit Pawar faction also making this demand, pressure on both the party and the government is increasing. At the same time, the opposition is also benefiting from the support of ruling party legislators in their demand.
The main demand of the protest was for Dhananjay Munde’s resignation. As the protest continued, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also became a target. Additionally, a pointed question was directed at Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, asking, ‘How many more lives will it take before action is taken? Suresh Dhas questioned Ajit Pawar, saying, “What happened to your promise, Ajit dada? Why did you allow this? Add up the murders from Sandeep Dighule to Santosh Deshmukh and calculate the situation. Who is behind these murders ? If you don’t know, send people from Baramati to Parli and see how our community is being treated. Over 200 families are leaving their homes,” Suresh Dhas strongly criticized the situation.
This case has reignited the conflict between Marathas and OBCs. Speaking at the protest, Manoj Jarange Patil issued a stern warning to Dhananjay Munde, stating that if anything happens to Santosh Deshmukh’s family, Dhananjay Munde will not be allowed to walk freely on the streets. After Parbhani, a Jan Aakrosh March has now been organized in Pune. The march, starting at 10 AM today, will be taken from Lal Mahal to the District Collector’s office. Members of Santosh Deshmukh’s family, leaders from all parties, and office-bearers will be present during the march. A memorandum has been submitted to the District Collector’s office on behalf of the Akhand Maratha Samaj Maharashtra State Organization.
