Feel ashamed that in Beed, even cops can’t carry their surnames, says Dhananjay Munde

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Former cabinet minister and Parli NCP MLA Dhananjay Munde expressed his dismay on Saturday over the inability of even police personnel in Beed to carry their surnames.Munde said he feels ashamed that even police personnel in the district cannot carry their surnames, noting that in Jan this year, the Beed police issued directives to use only first names on nameplates to de-escalate social tensions.Addressing an event at Beed, Munde questioned the existence of social equality in the district. "Social equality has ceased to exist not only in our (Beed) district, but also at many other places," Munde said in his speech.Beed district saw its reputation damaged by the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Dec 2024, which intensified tensions between the Maratha community and OBCs.Following the incident, Munde stepped down as cabinet minister after his close aide Valmik Karad was named the prime accused in the high-profile murder case. Since then, Munde has rarely appeared at public events, citing previous health issues as reasons for his absence from public life.

At the Beed event on Saturday, Munde called for unity to rectify past mistakes. He added people limit social reformers to their respective castes, even when such personalities aim for the broader public good.In response to Munde's comments on social equality, Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange said he has ceased commenting on the NCP politicians. "If he (Munde) comes in our way, we will not spare him," Jarange told reporters in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.