After Munde, Oppn targets yet another Mahayuti minister

Maharashtra's BJP faces backlash as opposition alleges sexual harassment by minister Jaykumar Gore, sparking demands for his removal amid ongoing budget session.

MUMBAI: Just as the ruling Mahayuti found a moment to sit back and breathe easy, following the resignation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Dhananjay Munde on Tuesday, it has been hit by yet another embarrassment, with Opposition leaders training their guns on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister’s alleged sexual harassment of a woman.

BJP leader Jaykumar Gore addressed reporters outside the Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday (Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

On Wednesday, Congress leader and former leader of opposition Vijay Wadettiwar claimed that “a certain BJP minister”, purportedly close to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, had been harassing a woman by sending her inappropriate pictures. While Wadettiwar chose to avoid naming the minister, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut filled the void by calling out rural development minister Jaykumar Gore.

“A minister from western Maharashtra, known to be a fitness freak, would send nude pictures to a woman in 2017. A case was filed against him, following which he was jailed for 10 days. He later apologised before the court and paid a fine of ₹10,000, after which the case was disposed,” Wadettiwar said, without naming anyone.

He added, “When he became a minister, he started harassing the same woman again. Such a minister must be removed from the government immediately.”

Raut concurred, and likened it to the alleged rape of a 26-year-old woman at Swargate bus stand, in Pune, recently. After naming Gore, Raut said, “The BJP minister is also close to the chief minister. He harassed and molested the woman. The helpless woman is now set to sit on a hunger strike before Vidhan Bhavan soon. The information against Gore is extremely serious and tarnishes the image of Maharashtra.”

Raut also demanded that “such tainted ministers be sacked from the government”. He called referenced the case of Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Rathod who was linked to a 23-year-old woman in Pune, following which she died by suicide on February 8, 2021. Rathod resigned from his position of forest minister on February 28, 2021.

The allegations by Sena (UBT) and Congress have created a political storm in the state; and the Opposition likely to corner the government over the Gore issue in the ongoing budget session of the state legislature.

Gore called the allegations a political conspiracy to besmirch the ruling coalition. “The court has cleared my name in the case in 2019. They are bringing it up after six years. Political leaders need to have some morality,” said Gore, 49, outside the Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday.

“All those who have made allegations against me will be named in the breach of privilege motion in the state assembly,” he said, adding, “I will also file a defamation case against them.”