Dhananjay Munde
Credit: PTI Photo
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Former Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde said on Sunday that someone might have had enmity with him, but the entire Beed district was “defamed” over one incident, referring to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.
The NCP leader was speaking at an event in Beed, where his party chief Ajit Pawar and state president Sunil Tatkare were present.
Munde, who represents the Parli constituency in the district, had to resign as a cabinet minister after the murder of Deshmukh in December 2024 triggered a huge uproar. His close aide Walmik Karad is the prime accused in the case.
“I am speaking almost 200 days after. It’s a double century of silence. Many things have happened in these 200 days.
“What pains me the most is how the Beed district was defamed by some people from here and outside over one incident. It’s acceptable if they had enmity with me, but then why did they defame my soil (Beed),” he asked.
Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted and tortured to death on December 9, 2004. He had tried to resist an extortion attempt targeting an energy company operating a windmill project in the area.