Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) NCP tribal leader and Maharashtra Minister for Food and Drug Administration, Narhari Zirwal, is in a fix after an allegedly obscene video of him with a transgender person has gone viral on social media. It is not Zirwal alone but the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP faces an acid test to weather the crisis as the party has been mired in a string of controversies.

The viral video allegedly featuring Zirwal has sparked a barrage of criticism from the Opposition who claimed that the individual seen in the video is indeed Minister Zirwal and is demanding his resignation.

As of now, no official reaction has been received from Minister Zirwal regarding this purported video. Similarly, there has been no official comment from the NCP about the embarrassing video allegedly featuring Minister Zirwal.

Zirwal is the NCP MLA from the Dindori constituency in Nashik district. It is being claimed that the viral video is seven months old. With this video controversy, Zirwal is the fourth NCP leader facing trouble in recent months after former ministers Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate and former chairperson of the Maharashtra State Women’s Commission Rupali Chakankar.

Though the NCP leadership has not yet reacted to the entire matter, however, with the Opposition taking an aggressive stance, there is a buzz in state political circles that action might be taken against him.

If that happens, Zirwal would be the third NCP minister to lose his post after Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate.

All eyes are now on the positions taken by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A few days ago, a clerk in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department at the Mantralaya in Mumbai was caught red-handed accepting a bribe. The clerk was accused of demanding money to renew a cancelled licence for a chemist.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap and took action within the ministerial office of Zirwal, leading to two arrests. Zirwal faced heavy criticism during that entire episode.

Earlier, Dhananjay Munde, who was quite close to late Deputy Chief Minister and NCP President Ajit Pawar, resigned due to alleged links with those accused in the murder of Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. He has been attempting a Cabinet comeback for six months.

Manikrao Kokate lost his post as agriculture minister after being found guilty by a court of forging documents to obtain a government flat.

Last week, NCP leader from Pune district, Rupali Chakankar resigned as the Chairperson of Maharashtra State Women’s Commission amid escalating controversy regarding her alleged links with a self-styled godman Ashok Kharat who has been accused of raping multiple women. The party may seek Chakankar’s resignation from the post of Maharashtra NCP women’s wing president too.

The continuous string of party leaders falling into controversy has made navigating these crises a major challenge for NCP National President and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar.

According to a senior party functionary, the controversies — the Narhari Zirwal video, the Rupali Chakankar resignation, and the cases involving former ministers Dhananjay Munde and Manikrao Kokate — are seen as threats to the “clean and efficient” image Ajit Pawar tried to project.

The NCP chief faces a major task to discipline these leaders without alienating the party’s base and also protect late Ajit Pawar’s legacy.

–IANS

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