Mumbai, March 25 Maharashtra Minister Narhari Zirwal has landed in a controversy after a video of him with a transgender woman surfaced on social media, with the opposition Congress demanding the NCP leader's removal over his "obscene and unethical behavior."
The Congress alleged that the video shows Zirwal, who is the Minister of Food and Drugs Administration, in a compromising position with the transgender woman at his official residence.
The opposition party condemned the incident, saying it shows the moral decline in Maharashtra's politics, and called the minister's conduct a "blot on public life."
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar attributed the emergence of the video to the power struggle between the ruling allies.
"This is nothing but a gang war within the government, where the ruling parties are trying to undermine each other. This is not good for Maharashtra. We are ashamed. The same is the case with (the arrested self-proclaimed godman) Ashok Kharat, who exploited so many women. All these developments are not good for Maharashtra," he said.
He said that according to available information, Zirwal was with a transgender person, and the latter's brother allegedly made the video go viral as part of a blackmail attempt.
"What Zirwal did at his official residence with that transgender person is absolutely wrong," the former minister said.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal called the incident a reflection of moral decline in state politics.
"The objectionable video of Minister Narhari Zirwal going viral on social media is not just an incident, but a glaring example of moral degradation in Maharashtra's politics," he said in a social media post.
"A responsible public representative, entrusted with the people's faith and taxpayers' money, indulging in such obscene and unethical behavior is extremely condemnable. This is not just a breach of personal boundaries, but a blot on public life," he said.
Sapkal also said that elected representatives are expected to adhere to basic standards of morality.
"At the very least, a minister elected by the people is expected to follow a framework of ethics. However, the video clearly shows that these expectations have been completely violated," he said.
Sapkal demanded immediate action against Zirwal, stating, "The Chief Minister must, without any delay, remove Zirwal from the ministerial post."
When reporters sought NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil's reaction over the controversial video on Wednesday evening, he refused to comment on it, saying he had not watched it.
"It would be better to comment on it if I am aware of the details. I cannot comment right now over it," Patil said.
Social activist Anjali Damania told reporters on Thursday that a senior minister like Zirwal should have kept in mind the issues of propriety.
"He should have realised what he was doing, that too in government accommodation," Damania said.
"It is clear that the video was shot and made viral with an intention to blackmail," she said, and demanded a thorough probe into the issue.
Last month, the opposition parties demanded the resignation of Zirwal after bribery allegations surfaced involving his office staffer at the state secretariat.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on February 12 caught FDA clerk Rajendra Dherange while allegedly accepting a Rs 35,000 bribe at Mantralaya (state secretariat) in south Mumbai. Zirwal's private secretary, Dr Ramdas Gade, was also relieved of his post and directed to report back to his parent department following a sting operation related to bribery.