Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde on Thursday said that he has been diagnosed with Bell Palsy condition that causes sudden weakness in face muscles, which had severely affected his ability to speak. Munde took to Facebook to announce his ailment.
"Currently, I cannot speak properly for even two minutes, which has prevented me from attending cabinet meetings and public events," Munde said in his social media post.
Munde assured Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar that he was committed to overcoming his illness and returning to public service as soon as possible.
The minister had undergone eye surgery under Dr TP Lahane some 15 days ago, and he had been advised to stay away from bright lights, dust and sun exposure.
"I had surgery on both my eyes fifteen days ago. The surgery was done under the guidance of Padma Shri Dr. T.P. Lahane. For about ten days, he advised me to take care of my eyes, especially from strong light, dust and sun. Meanwhile, I was diagnosed with a disease called Bell's palsy. The treatment for it is currently underway under the guidance of the famous Dr. Arun Shah of Reliance Hospital. Due to this disease, I am currently unable to speak properly for even two minutes continuously. Therefore, I have not been able to attend one or two cabinet and party Janata Darbar programs," he said in a post on X.
"I have shared this with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as well as with our party leader, Deputy Chief Minister, Ajitdada Pawar. Soon, after overcoming this disease, I will return to public service work," he added.
Munde is under fire from the opposition and some Mahayuti colleagues after close aide Walmik Karad was held in an extortion case linked to the abduction and brutal murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh in Massajog in Beed on December 9.
Munde has maintained he has no connection with the sarpanch case and has also refuted allegations of irregularities when he was agriculture minister earlier.