Maharashtra minister's viral video with transperson sparks row

Maharashtra's Minister Narhari Zirwal is facing intense scrutiny and calls for his resignation after a controversial video involving a transgender person went viral, igniting a political firestorm and raising questions about ethics and governance.

Maharashtra minister Narhari Zirwal has landed in a controversy after a video showing him with a transperson surfaced on social media, leading to calls for his sacking.

The minister, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party, claimed on Thursday that it was a doctored video and someone was trying to blackmail him.

The opposition Congress earlier in the day demanded that he should be sacked over his "obscene and unethical behaviour".

The video showed Zirwal, Minister of Food and Drug Administration, in a compromising position with the transperson at his official residence, Congress leaders said, adding that it reflected the moral decline in Maharashtra's politics.

Speaking to a Marathi news channel, Zirwal said the footage in the video was manipulated.

"It is an assembled video and leaked only with the intention of blackmailing....Nobody has asked for my resignation," he said.

The minister, however, admitted that he knew the transperson seen in the video for the last five years.

"But someone who knows that person is behind this blackmailing," he added.

Asked about liquor bottles seen in the video, Zirwal said he does not drink.

A tribal leader, Zirwal represents the Dindori assembly constituency in Nashik district.

Opposition Demands Action 

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar attributed the surfacing of the video to the tussle between the ruling allies.

"This is nothing but a gang war within the government where the ruling parties are trying to finish each other. This is not good for Maharashtra. We hang our heads in shame. Same is the case with (arrested self-styled godman) Ashok Kharat, who exploited so many women. All these developments are not good for Maharashtra," he said.

He said that as per the available information, Zirwal was with a transperson and the latter's brother allegedly made the video viral as part of a blackmail attempt.

"What Zirwal did at his official residence with the transgender person is absolutely wrong," the former minister said.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal called the incident a reflection of moral decline in state politics.

"The objectionable video of minister Narhari Zirwal going viral on social media is not just an incident, but a glaring example of moral degradation in Maharashtra's politics," he said in a social media post.

"A responsible public representative, entrusted with people's faith and taxpayers' money, indulging in such obscene and unethical behaviour is extremely condemnable. This is not just a breach of personal boundaries, but a blot on public life," he said.

Sapkal also said that elected representatives are expected to adhere to basic standards of morality.

"At the very least, a minister elected by the people is expected to follow a framework of ethics. However, the video clearly shows that these expectations have been completely violated," he said.

Sapkal demanded immediate action against Zirwal, stating, "The Chief Minister must, without any delay, remove Zirwal from the ministerial post."

When reporters sought NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil's reaction over the controversial video on Wednesday evening, he refused to comment on it, saying he had not watched it.

"It would be better to comment on it if I am aware of the details. I cannot comment right now over it," Patil said.

Reactions and Calls for Investigation

Talking to reporters on Thursday, social activist Anjali Damania said a senior minister like Zirwal should have kept in mind the issues of propriety.

"He should have realised what he was doing, that too in government accommodation," Damania said.

"It is clear that the video was shot and made viral with an intention to blackmail," she said, and demanded a thorough probe into the issue.

Aam Aadmi Party's Mumbai unit president Preeti Sharma Menon said, "Despite the viral obscene video of Zirwal, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has not taken any action against him. This is really a 'kaliyug' as sex offenders are our rulers."

Previous Allegations

Last month, the opposition parties demanded the resignation of Zirwal after bribery allegations surfaced involving his office staffer.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on February 12 caught FDA clerk Rajendra Dherange while allegedly accepting a Rs 35,000 bribe at Mantralaya (state secretariat) in south Mumbai. Zirwal's private secretary, Dr Ramdas Gade, was also relieved of his post and directed to report back to his parent department following a sting operation related to bribery.