Mumbai: Almost nine years ago, when Pankaja Munde was facing a challenge to come clean in the allegations of irregularities her cousin brother Dhananjay Munde was enjoying her struggle. Pankaja was minister for women and child welfare whereas Dhananjay was leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council. They were not on talking terms at that time. Dhananjay added fire to the fuel by raising the issue in the House creating more trouble for his sister.
The table is turned now. Dhananjay is facing the biggest political crisis as the Opposition has mounted pressure for his resignation in the Santosh Deshmukh murder case. He has established cordial relations with Pankaja after a gap of several years. However, the scars of his political attack on her remained, it seems. Pankaja, his colleague in the cabinet, did not back him in the controversy. On the contrary, she has insisted that Ajit Pawar, Dhananjay’s boss in the NCP, should clean the political environment in Beed, the Mundes’ native district.
Pankaja, the daughter of late Gopinath Munde, has succeeded in creating an impression that she has distanced herself from Dhananjay over the ongoing controversy. While interacting with the reporters on Tuesday she did not say anything against Dhananjay. However, she insisted that it was she who first demanded a SIT probe in the case and kept repeating CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ assurance that all the guilty shall be brought to book and no one shall be spared in the case. This is being interpreted as her distancing away from Dhananjay.
Dhananjay has had a hot-and-cold relationship with his younger cousin. He had defeated her in the 2019 Assembly election from Parli, Beed. The cousins had come together last year for Rakshabandhan after almost 12 years of estrangement.
Dhananjay (49) was initially groomed by his uncle. However, after Dhananjay raked up controversies over his high-handedness in Beed, the patriarch of the family started grooming his daughter Pankaja as his heir apparent. Irked Dhananjay started looking for options beyond his uncle and was encouraged by certain party leaders to stand up to his uncle.
In 2023, when Ajit managed to split the NCP, Dhananjay played a key role and became agriculture minister in the Mahayuti government where he drew flak for forcing the transfer of agriculture secretary who refused certain plans of his department, citing a loss for the exchequer.
Pankaja apparently struck a truce with Dhananjay last year and the cousin duo was seen together again.
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