NCP's Dhananjay Munde gets son support in domestic dispute with 1st wife, she alleges pressure
Dhananjay Munde’s first wife Karuna Sharma, who has a son and daughter with him, had filed a domestic violence case against him in 2020.
In a dramatic twist to the ongoing domestic dispute of Maharashtra politician Dhananjay Munde, his son has come to his defense following a court’s recent order for him to pay interim maintenance to his estranged wife and daughter.
Dhananjay Munde’s first wife Karuna Sharma, who has a son and daughter with him, had filed a domestic violence case against him in 2020. She subsequently sought interim maintenance and compensation under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.'
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On February 4, a Bandra magistrate’s court partially granted a plea by Karuna Sharma for interim maintenance under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. The court directed the minister to pay ₹1,25,000 per month to her and ₹75,000 to their daughter.
Seeshiv Munde, the couple’s son, issued a message on Thursday, stating that despite his father being “strict” with his mother, he had never been harsh with his children. Seeshiv also accused Karuna Sharma of tormenting him and his sister.
Munde's first wife denies allegations, says son being pressured
Karuna Sharma denied the allegations, claiming that Seeshiv was being pressured by Munde to make such statements. She later told reporters that both Dhananjay and Seeshiv were discouraging her from speaking to the media, considering it harassment.
"My son is being forced to post statements. Dhananjay Munde is a state minister. My children do not want to go to jail or be falsely implicated in cases," news agency PTI quoted Karuna Sharma as saying.
Karuna also added that her children had suffered due to the strained relationship between her and Munde, and claimed that her son had been frequently called by his father while she was speaking to the press.
Karuna further took a dig at Seeshiv, mentioning that he was unemployed and did not own any property despite being the only son of the Munde family. “The only son of the Munde family is sitting unemployed at home. Walmik Karad, who was a servant, has properties worth over ₹4,000 crore, but the son of the Munde family doesn’t have any property in his name,” she said.
This ongoing dispute also comes at a time when Dhananjay Munde is embroiled in a controversy involving his close aide, Walmik Karad, who was arrested in an extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district, Munde's home turf in central Maharashtra.
Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader Dhananjay Munde is the minister Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection in the Maharashtra government.