- Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has ruled out a political career despite popularity
- Mundhe said his forthright nature would not suit the political arena or elected office
- He distinguishes his regulatory role from politics, showing no interest in elections
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has categorically ruled out a career in politics, despite the widespread popularity his recent enforcement drive against restaurants and food business operators has earned him.
In an exclusive interview to NDTV Profit, when asked whether he had ever considered joining politics or standing for elections, given his image as an "executor of the law" and "guardian of the law", Mundhe was unequivocal.
"Not my cup of tea," he said, when asked directly about contesting elections or becoming a lawmaker.
The commissioner said his temperament, which he described as forthright to a fault, would not suit political life.
"The person like me who is very forthright and upright, I don't think he will be or she will be accepted in politics," Mundhe said. "Many people call me arrogant, not because I am arrogant, but forthright. There is a very very thin line between forthright and, I mean, arrogant."
He added that this trait was not something he had cultivated for effect. "That's my nature. It's not something artificial," he said.
Mundhe drew a distinction between his current role, which allows him to help frame regulations and rules as an officer, and elected politics, which he said was an entirely different domain that did not interest him.
"Whether I can frame the law as a secretary, we are in the process of doing that," he said, referring to his administrative responsibilities. But when pressed on whether he saw himself in electoral politics, he was direct: "Absolutely not."
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Mundhe On The 'Nayak' Tag
The FDA chief said he sees himself first and foremost as a public servant operating within the boundaries of existing law, not as someone seeking a mandate to change it. Asked about the "Nayak" tag given to him on social media, drawing comparisons with the Bollywood film about a common man who becomes chief minister for a day, Mundhe brushed off suggestions that his popularity could translate into political capital.
He said he draws his motivation not from public validation but from personal accountability. "I am inspired by my inner voice," he said. "I think that I am being a public servant, I have a responsibility to myself and to the society. That's the bottom line."
Mundhe's tenure at the helm of Maharashtra's FDA has seen more than 3,100 inspections and 165 licence suspensions in recent months, actions that have drawn both praise and legal challenges from restaurant owners contesting the proportionality of the crackdown.
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