Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accepted his party minister Sanjay Rathod's resignation on Sunday in connection with Tiktok star Pooja Chavan suicide.
Earlier in the day, Forest minister Sanjay Rathod met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray along with his wife and offered the resignation letter. This is the first resignations in the Uddhav Thackeray government in the last one year.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that Oppositions should not make politics over the resignation of Sanjay Rathod. “Rathod himself has offered the resignation. Now, the fair and impartial inquiry will take place and truth will come out. No one will be spared here. The opposition should believe in the investigating agency. If they are raising questions over it, then it is very unfortunate and not acceptable,” Thackeray said.
Thackeray criticized the Opposition saying that dirty politics has been played by Opposition to ruin someone’s political career. “We have asked the time-bound probe in Pooja Chavan’s suicide case. The investigation is on right track. Once the report is submitted the actions will be taken. We will not entertain the unnecessary demands of the Opposition. They are just making hue and cry and not interested in giving justice to someone. The current Opposition has two mouths that Maharashtra has never experienced,” said Thackeray.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had demanded the resignations of Sanjay Rathod.
While Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that an FIR should be registered against Rathod and arrest should be also made. “We will not stop until the justice is given to Tiktok girl Pooja Chavan who committed suicide. Our fight will continue. We will also raise several issues in the state assembly’s budget sessions. We will also demand the resignations of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde in connection with his second marriage,” Patil said.
Meanwhile, Pooja Chavan's parents met the chief minister and handed over the letter demanding a fair probe in their daughter death. They said that media should stop maligning their daughter's image by linking her to Sanjay Rathod.
Senior NCP minister said that Uddhav Thackeray failed to handle the situations of Sanjay Rathod. “If they wanted to take the resignations, then it should have taken earlier only. The matter should not have stretched so long that damaged the government image. If they did not take so long, then it should not have taken ahead of the state assembly session. It means that the government has succumbed to the pressure of Oppositions. This is not the good sign of the leadership,” he added requested anonymity.
Sources in Shiv Sena said that Thackeray's family was also divided over taking the resignations of Sanjay Rathod. "Adithya Thackeray and his mother Rashmi Thackeray was in favour of seeking resignations of Sanjay Rathod while Uddhav Thackeray was not. But pressure of Oppositions was building and ahead of budget session Thackeray decided to seek the resignations to silence the Oppositions," said source requested anonymity.