Sharpening their attack on Munde, Opposition Congress and NCP said they would not relent on their demand for her resignation and the ensuing Monsoon session of the state legislature would face hurdles if she did not step down.
In her first press meet on returning home from London trip, when the opposition accused her of violating norms in awarding contracts for purchase of 'chiki' and a host of other items for anganwadis, an assertive Munde said the charge hurled at her by the opposition when she was away was "politically motivated".
"All the allegations levelled against me are political in nature. They were purposely brought out when I could not be physically present to put forth my explanation," she said.
"The day it is proved that I am guilty of any wrongdoing, I would not consider myself worth holding any government position, let alone the charge of this very important department," Munde, daughter of late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde, said.
Also in-charge of the Water Conservation department, she refuted charges that she flouted norms in awarding a contract for building a dam in Jalna district to a private company headed by Ratnakar Gutte, a functionary of Rashtriya Samaj Paksh (RSP), an ally of the BJP-led alliance and a close associate of the Munde family.
"There have been pictures of me with Ratnakar Gutte floating the media. These pictures do not mean anything. He (Gutte) has only joined the RSP a few months back and we had met at some function where the picture was taken. But this does not mean I have, in any way, favoured this person.
"We have given all the rights of approvals to district collectors and I have not interfered in any of their decisions," Munde said. She also displayed several pictures of Gutte with other NCP leaders.
Terming her clarification as a "poor attempt to hide her mideeds", Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said "unless Munde and Vinod Tawde (Education Minister) resigned from the BJP-led Government headed by Devendra Fadnavis, we will not allow the legislature session to be smooth."
Tawde, a high profile BJP minister in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, has come under cloud over alleged violation of norms in approval of contract for purchase of fire extinguishers for schools.
The purchase has been put on hold with the intervention of the Finance Department and Tawde rejected the charge of norms violation.