Pune & Bombay: Food and drugs administration (FDA) minister Narhari Zirwal on Friday said he would resign from his post if the investigation revealed his any link with the bribery case, following the opposition’s demand for his scalp a day after the anti-corruption bureau arrested a clerk of his department from Mantralaya.Responding to the opposition’s criticism, Zirwal said he was in Delhi when the ACB team took action against his department’s clerk in Mantralaya. “The incident is unpardonable, but I will resign as a minister only if the ACB probe finds any connection of the bribery case with me.”
According to the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) officials, the arrested clerk, Raju Sampat Dherange (40), had demanded Rs50,000 from a chemist from Latur to allegedly revoke the suspension of latter’s licence. An ACB team nabbed Dherange while he was accepting Rs35,000 from the chemist at the FDA office on the second floor of Mantralaya on Thursday. The ACB has started a probe after finding Rs42,000 in his office.Following the ACB action, the opposition demanded Zirwal’s resignation. State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “The functioning of Mantralaya should be people-centric, but Thursday’s incident proves that the BJP-led Mahayuti had converted it into a corruption hub. It is quite shameful that the FDA’s office in Mantralaya was sealed after the ACB action. Taking the moral responsibility, Zirwal should resign immediately.“Sapkal said, “The arrested clerk allegedly told the ACB officials that he had accepted the bribe at the instruction of his seniors. The investigating agency should unearth the entire nexus and, for a fair investigation, the chief minister should tell Zirwal to resign.”When Zirwal was asked if he was morally responsible, he replied in the affirmative. “What has happened is serious. The accused will have to face the consequences. He was tasked with preparing papers for departmental hearings,” he added.Shiv Sena (UBT) also targeted Zirwal over the ACB action in Mantralaya. Former leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve said, “The FDA has the responsibility of taking action on health-related issues across the state. It is quite unfortunate that the department was compromised for Rs35,000. The ACB should not stop its action at the clerk, but find the mastermind running the nexus of bribery from Mantralaya.“Zirwal was among the first NCP members to back Sunetra Pawar as the successor of Ajit Pawar after the latter died in a plane crash on Jan 28. He also supported the idea of merger of both the NCPs, claiming that Sharad Pawar could take the lead for it. The minister changed his stance later.
