Bank fraud case: BJP leader accuses Maharashtra govt of targeting opponents

The Mumbai Police have booked Pravin Darekar for allegedly using bogus membership of a labour society to get elected as a director of the bank

MUMBAI: Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pravin Darekar, who is facing a bank fraud case, has accused the Maharashtra government of selective targeting its opponents.

Pravin Darekar. (HT PHOTO)

Speaking in the legislative council, Darekar on Tuesday alleged that ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party leaders in the cooperative sector have got off scot-free while he was being singled out.

“The whole aim of the state government is to defame me despite running Mumbai Bank in a transparent manner. They should understand that they are playing havoc with the cooperative movement and families dependent on it,” said Darekar. “On one hand, the government asked us to bail out ailing sectors by pumping in money, and on the other, it is now finding technical points to nail me.”

Darekar said he would petition Union minister Amit Shah and demand action against ruling coalition members, who have defrauded cooperative institutions. “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others.”

The Mumbai Police have booked Darekar for allegedly using bogus membership of a labour society to get elected as a director of the bank. He is accused of cheating the state government and causing losses to the bank due to unrecovered loans. Darekar was the chairman of the Mumbai Bank, one of the top cooperative banks in Maharashtra, between 2011 and 2021.