Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Dhananjay Munde. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Suresh Dhas ignited a political firestorm on Thursday (January 30, 2025), accusing Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Dhananjay Munde of overseeing a ₹73.36 crore fraudulent fund withdrawal during his tenure as Beed’s guardian minister. 

The allegations, which include claims that 500 locals “slipped into coma” amid the unfolding scandal, prompted Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to demand a formal written complaint to trigger an investigation.

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Mr. Dhas, the BJP legislator from Ashti, escalated his charges at a district planning meeting, alleging that massive sums had been siphoned through “bogus bills” and unexecuted projects under Mr. Munde’s watch in 2021–2022. “Deputy CM Pawar has directed me to submit documented evidence, which I provided Wednesday. A written complaint will follow,” Mr. Dhas told reporters, brandishing files he claims expose corruption in Parli and Ambajogai tehsils.

The MLA alleged ₹37.70 crore was withdrawn without any work done, while another ₹73.36 crore was funnelled via fraudulent invoices between December 2021 and March 2022. He singled out executive engineers from the Zilla Parishad and Public Works Department (PWD), accusing them of colluding in a “modus operandi” to divert funds. Notably, Mr. Dhas questioned the mysterious disappearance of Sanjay Munde, a deputy engineer allegedly promoted unlawfully to oversee transactions.

Mr. Dhas linked the financial scandal to public health. “At least 500 people in Beed have slipped into coma since I exposed this,” he said. While not elaborating on causation, the claim amplifies pressure on Mr. Munde, already embroiled in a separate political crisis following the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Mr. Munde’s close aide, Walmik Karad, was recently arrested in an extortion case tied to the killing.

Mr. Munde, a Nationalist Congress Party-Ajit Pawar (NCP-AP) leader, has denied all allegations, terming them “baseless”. The Opposition, however, has demanded his ouster from the Cabinet. Mr. Dhas said he would pursue the matter, stating he would formally alert Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and PWD officials, adding, “The issues of Deshmukh’s murder and Sanjay Munde’s role won’t be ignored.”

Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MP Supriya Sule on Thursday criticised the Maharashtra government for its handling of the investigation into the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, questioning why one of the prime accused remained at large 51 days after the crime. Ms. Sule said she planned to raise the issue in Parliament and would seek a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise him of the deteriorating law and order situation in the State.

“We, as [part of] MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance), will be highlighting all these issues…extortion, corruption…in Parliament during the Budget session. I will also seek an appointment with (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and apprise him of the current situation of the State,” Ms. Sule said.