Amid the political row over the murder of a sarpanch, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday asked NCP workers in Beed district not to get involved in extortion attempts targeting development projects.
Asking his party workers to maintain a "clean character", the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief said political interference will not be tolerated in the administration.
His remarks come against the backdrop of the arrest of Walmik Karad, a close associate of state NCP minister Dhananjay Munde, in an extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Beed district.
The opposition has been demanding Munde's ouster in the wake of the arrest of his associate and to facilitate an impartial probe into the murder of Deshmukh.
Pawar arrived in Beed on Thursday morning, his first visit since becoming the district guardian minister.
Addressing a gathering of NCP workers, he said, "Maintain a clean character. Everybody should take care not to mingle with