Congress self-pats twice in three days

Mumbai: In two major back-to-back developments, the opposition Congress notched a double stroke of political pot-luck that suddenly brought wide smiles to the party leaders and the workers went gung-ho with excitement.

The fast-paced happenings were the stinging order of a Mumbai Special ACB Court to lodge a FIR against the ex-SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri-Buch and others, followed by a ruling Mahayuti Minister Dhananjay Munde who was forced to quit under a cloud.

These are probably the first two token political victories that the Congress - along with Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) of Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party (SP) - notched after their pathetic performance in the Nov. 2024 Assembly elections.

The Congress’s Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi had first raised the alleged irregularities and scams plaguing the SEBI under Puri-Buch’s stewardship, which culminated in the latest court verdict.

It was among the earliest to kick off the demands for Munde’s resignation two months ago, following the abduction, brutal torture and heinous killing of Massajog village’s threetime Sarpanch, Santosh Pandit Deshmukh.

State Congress President Harshawardhan Sapkal expressed concerns over the fate of lakhs of investors and their billions of rupees exposed in the markets, and asked the Centre to order a fullfledged probe into the SEBI scam during Puri-Buch’s tenure.

The party accorded a full-throated welcome to Munde’s resignation – nearly 85 days after the Sarpanch’s killing in full public view, in Beed on Dec. 9 – sparking a major row and with embarrassing repercussions for the new Mahayuti regime headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Referring to the CM’s media briefing, senior Congress leader Nana Patole said that he would move a breach of privilege motion against Fadnavis for making the announcement of Munde resignation without taking the legislature into confidence when the Budget Session is underway.

NCP (SP) Working President Supriya Sule declared that she would call on Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprise him in detail of the Sarpanch killing imbroglio and related aspects.

Not satisfied with the development, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray asserted: “Merely taking his (Munde’s) resignation is not enough. The whole MahaYuti government should be dismissed outright.”

Social crusader Anjali Damania commented that “it is not a resignation, Munde was sacked from the Cabinet”, as the setback left many red-faced in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party alliance.

“This demand has been accepted though delayed for so long. But, I will not rest till he is also removed as a MLA,” vowed Damania as the huge reverse challenged the Mahayuti’s credibility, with another tainted Minister awaiting

the axe.

NCP (SP) President was among the first top leaders to call on the bereaved Deshmukh family on December 21, and the party announced that it would bear the educational expenses of his daughter Vaibhavi.

At the height of the protests following the Sarpanch murder, the newly appointed Munde himself had demanded that the killers of Sarpanch Deshmukh should get the noose.