Social activist Anjali Damania has accused NCP leader Dhananjay Munde of being involved in a scam worth Rs 161.68 crore during his tenure as agriculture minister in the previous Mahayuti government and called for his resignation. Currently serving as the Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies minister, Munde denied the allegations and threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against Damania. His name has already been under scrutiny following the arrest of his close aide, Walmik Karad, in connection with the murder of sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district Santosh Deshmukh. Damania said the allegations stem from violations of a government resolution (GR) dated September 12, 2018, which mandated that all scheme-related funds under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system be transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts, excluding specific entities such as Mahabeej, KVK, and MAIDC. She alleges this rule was disregarded. According to Damania, the government resolution included 62 components under DBT, with any changes to the existing components requiring approval from a committee comprising the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and Planning Secretary. Damania also pointed to a new GR issued on March 12, 2024, just before the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha elections came into effect. This resolution appointed the agriculture commissioner as the controlling officer for agricultural input purchases, a move that former Agriculture Commissioner Pravin Gedam had raised concerns about. Damania claims that Munde overruled these concerns and sought permission from then Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar. The activist further accused the agriculture department under Munde of financial irregularities in the procurement of five items—nano urea, nano DAP, battery sprayers, metaldehyde pesticide, and cotton bags—at inflated prices, resulting in a total loss of Rs 161.68 crore to the exchequer. Munde, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless. "None of the allegations leveled by her in various cases over the years have been substantiated. Perhaps she is considering a return to politics, which is why she is making such allegations,” he said.
