Mumbai: In what came as a sigh of relief, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has decided Dhananjay Munde, Minister of Social Justice to continue in the cabinet at least for now.
Munde is marred by the controversy due to rape allegations elevated against him by a woman.
News agency PTI has quoted sources as saying that the party took the decision keeping in mind the complaints of harassment made against the woman by some leaders from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Senior NCP leaders, including party Chief Sharad Pawar, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil and other senior leaders had a meeting on Thursday nigjt to discuss the matter.
Dhananjay Munde an NCP leader from Beed, has denied the rape allegations and instead claimed that he is being defamed and blackmailed by the woman and her sister.
The Minister, however, has accepted that he was in a relationship with the complainant woman's sister and has two children with her.
In yet another twist, a BJP leader on Thursday had claimed that the same woman, who accused Dhananjay Munde of raping her, had been attempting to 'honey-trap' him in a similar case for many years.
On Thursday, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai had dubbed the allegations against the Minister as serious, adding that the NCP will ponder over the case and make a decision on the same.
Also, the NCP President of the state Jayant Patil states that 45-year-old would not resign because someone has made allegations but asserted the issue would be discussed inside the party and a decision would be be taken by the party after analysing the facts.
