The Shiv Sena Thursday appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to sack BJP leader Madhu Chavan, the chairman of the Mumbai board of housing development body MHADA, after a case of rape was registered against him by police.
Sena is a constituent of the BJP-led Maharashtra government.
A case of rape was registered against Chavan at Chiplun police station in Ratnagiri district on Tuesday on the direction of court and a probe into the matter is on, a senior police officer said Wednesday.
Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe also requested Governor C Vidyasara Rao to protect the victim, alleging that Chavan has been threatening the woman.
When contacted, Chavan, who is a BJP spokesperson, refuted allegations against him and accused the woman of blackmailing him.
Gorhe said the victim was an employee of the college owned by Chavan.
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The Sena leader said the police acted against Chavan only after the Bombay High Court issued directions.
"The woman tried to lodge a complaint against Chavan, but the police did not register it," Gorhe alleged.
She said the BJP has a long list of leaders "who like serial killers are serial harassers of women and need to be punished".
Gorhe said the CM should take resignation of Chavan on the moral grounds the way he did in case of BJP minister Eknath Khadse who stepped down on allegations of corruption.
Chavan said the woman was "blackmailing" him because she was repeatedly pulled up by him for "bad behaviour".
"The woman had previously lodged similar complaints against me in 2012 and 2017. In 2012, the police had conducted an in-depth investigation and when it was found that there was no substance in her claims, the case was closed," Chavan said.
When asked about the HC directions, Chavan said the court has merely ordered an investigation and not stated that the charge of rape be slapped against him.
"There is no question of resigning," he said.