Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has called for IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe to be given a larger administrative responsibility, suggesting that he should be appointed to head the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Speaking to the media in Mumbai, Raut referred to Mundhe’s recent enforcement action after taking charge as Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. The FDA has stepped up inspections of restaurants and other food establishments in recent months, with officials taking action over alleged food safety and hygiene violations.
Raut suggests wider administrative role
Raut said Mundhe’s action against restaurants and hotels had attracted attention beyond Maharashtra. He suggested that the officer could instead be assigned responsibilities in areas such as drought management, rehabilitation, revenue and urban development.
“Restaurants and hotels are enough now. Let people eat,” Raut said, while arguing that these departments required greater attention.
Raut’s remarks were a political statement about how the state government should deploy its administrative machinery. His suggestion to appoint Mundhe to the CMO does not constitute an official government proposal.
Mundhe has recently drawn public attention for the FDA’s enforcement campaign. Reports based on FDA data said thousands of inspections and hundreds of licence suspensions have been carried out during the recent drive.
Raut raises SIR concerns
Raut also criticised the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra.
He claimed that around two crore names had been excluded from the draft electoral roll and alleged that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was taking decisions that benefited the BJP. These are Raut’s political allegations.
The draft electoral roll released under the SIR exercise did show a reduction of more than two crore names compared with the earlier roll. Reports have attributed the reduction primarily to categories such as absent, shifted, dead and duplicate voters, and the Election Commission has indicated that the draft is subject to claims and objections.
Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) would support a protest led by CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke on October 2. He also referred to a proposed October 4 march involving Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray and called for opposition parties to come together on the issue.
He said Rahul Gandhi had also raised concerns over the SIR exercise and that his party had approached the court, leaving the matter to the judiciary.
Comments on INDIA bloc
Raut also spoke about opposition unity and appealed to the Congress to maintain cohesion within the INDIA bloc.
He said the Shiv Sena (UBT) recognised Rahul Gandhi’s central role in the alliance and welcomed what he described as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s renewed emphasis on the importance of the INDIA alliance.
These remarks came amid continuing political disagreements among parties over electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission.
Raut raises temple trust allegations
On the controversy surrounding donations to the Ram temple, Raut alleged that the temple trust’s treasury had been looted and accused Champat Rai and the BJP of responsibility.
He also claimed that a Special Investigation Team had found evidence of theft. These allegations were made by Raut and were not independently established in the material reviewed for this report.
Claims on drought and farmer suicides
Raut also criticised the Maharashtra government over drought conditions and farmer suicides.
He claimed that seven farmers had died by suicide in the preceding 24 hours and that around 550 farmers had died by suicide in the state. He further alleged that relief had not reached affected people despite the government’s drought declaration.
Independent reporting on the wider farm distress in Maharashtra has documented a high number of farmer suicides in the Marathwada region; however, the specific figures cited by Raut regarding the preceding 24 hours and the total statewide figure could not be independently verified from the sources reviewed.
Raut described the situation as a failure of the state government, while the government has maintained that measures are being taken to address drought-related concerns.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader’s remarks come amid ongoing political exchanges in Maharashtra over the SIR exercise, drought relief, farmer distress and the administration’s functioning.