Mumbai, March 20 (IANS). Amid the controversy surrounding Ashok Kharat, who describes himself as a spiritual guru, Maharashtra NCP women’s wing chief Rupali Chakankar on Friday said she is being targeted specifically because she is a woman.
Speaking to reporters after resigning from the post of chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Chakankar said, “My entire family follows the Varkari tradition, that’s why we were associated with Kharat’s trust. However, I had no idea about his other side. How can one know what a person will do or how he will behave in the future? Many people have pictures with Kharat, but I feel sad that I am being specifically targeted and accused of Being imposed, just because I am a woman.”
He clarified that his association with Ashok Kharat’s Trust was due to his family’s long-standing association with the Varkari tradition.
She admitted that she considered Kharat and his wife as her spiritual gurus, but stressed that the videos that are going viral now are about six years old.
Incidentally, self-proclaimed Baba Ashok Kharat, who hails from Nashik in northern Maharashtra, has already been arrested on charges of sexual harassment and rape.
Chakankar asked, “The video of the padya-pujan is five to six years old. My husband and I used to attend Trust events because of our spiritual faith. At that time, we had no knowledge of his personal conduct or any wrongdoing he might commit in the future. How can one predict how a person will behave years later?”
He also told that his official tenure as director of Kharat’s trust had ended on August 8, 2025.
Defending his integrity, Chakankar said he decided to step down from his post to ensure a completely fair and transparent investigation into the allegations against Kharat.
He confirmed that he has written a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the state Director General of Police (DGP), demanding strict action.
–IANS
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