Ajit's call on Munde is final: CM

No extortion, no social media reels with guns, says dy CM in his maiden tour of Beed as guardian minister

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

MUMBAI: Ajit Pawar, while flatly refusing to sack NCP minister Dhananjay Munde—whose close aide Walmik Karad is the alleged mastermind of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder—is reading Beed's NCP party workers the riot act instead. On Thursday, the deputy chief minister warned the workers, who are controlled by Munde, of serious action if found in any law-breaking activities.

Ajit started his maiden tour of Beed district as guardian minister by holding a meeting of the NCP district unit, where he told party workers that he would restore law and order in the district and take action against anyone found guilty of breaking the law, irrespective of political affiliation. "I will not hesitate to invoke even the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against you if you are found involved in any extortion bids," he told NCP workers.

Ajit also warned that he would cancel their arms licenses if they were found using pistols for random purposes. "We have seen reels on news channels where people are firing in the air and openly carrying pistols to show off," he said. "I will ask the department to cancel their gun licenses, as pistols are allowed only for security reasons and should be kept at home. I will not tolerate you making reels with pistols."