ED heat on Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena leaders: Party says BJP, agency ‘hand in glove’

With two Shiv Sena leaders — a minister and a five-term MP — facing action by the ED, Sena leaders trained their guns at the central agency, saying it is “hand in glove” with the ruling BJP

With two Shiv Sena leaders — a minister and a five-term member of parliament (MP) — facing action by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Sena leaders trained their guns at the central agency, saying it is “hand in glove” with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Sena on Monday fought back, saying that action against party leaders was “vendetta politics”, adding that it won’t have an impact on Sena or the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

“The ED is hand in glove with BJP and this must be investigated,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said. (HT FILE)

A week after the Uddhav Thackeray-led government took action against union minister Narayan Rane and arrested him over his slap remark, the heat on Sena has been turned by the ruling party at the Centre.

After state transport minister Anil Parab received a notice from ED on Sunday, properties of Bhawana Gawali, Sena MP from Yavatmal-Washim, were raided by teams of the agency on Monday. Parab, who has been summoned to ED office in Mumbai on Tuesday, is unlikely to remain present before ED officials. He is expected to respond to the notice, people privy to details said.

“The ED is hand in glove with BJP and this must be investigated,” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said. He also said, “For the past few days, BJP leaders had been saying that Anil Parab is next [to face ED action]. Either ED has kept one desk officer in BJP headquarters or a BJP office-bearer has been deputed as a desk officer in ED. Hence, all these actions are happening. Otherwise how did they know that Anil Parab will get notice or when he will be summoned for questioning. Kirit Somaiya, Chandrakant Patil and many others know.”

Responding to the allegation, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said, “Everybody has the freedom to level allegations. But ED, CBI and other agencies are independent bodies that are not controlled by one person or one party.”

Terming the ED notice as “love letters” Raut said, the ED notice is not a big thing. “It is not a death warrant, but a medal for us. The frequency of such love letters has increased after unsuccessful attempts to topple the MVA government, which is strong and unbreakable. Anil Parab is being targeted by the BJP and he will respond to the ED notice and cooperate with the ED’s investigation,” said Raut.

Parab met Raut at Saamana office in Parel on Monday afternoon where the two leaders reportedly discussed the issue. Later, Parab met NCP’s state chief and his cabinet colleague Jayant Patil at Mantralaya. The MVA allies are expected to put up a united front on the issue. When asked if Parab will appear before ED officials, Raut said, “This is a legal battle and they have to be fought in that manner. Anil Parab is a lawyer himself, he knows what needs to be done.”

Patil, however, denied that the meeting between the two was not related to the ED notice. He said, “The ED is being used to create trouble for NCP, Congress and Sena leaders. Whoever has opposed BJP in the country is facing such actions. I am confident that whichever leader from the three parties get notices, will respond to them. But there is an attempt to defame the government.”

Stepping up its attack on the BJP, Raut reiterated his statement that he has names of over 100 BJP leaders who are allegedly involved in the wrongdoings. “This is vendetta politics, it is of no use. Everybody gets their turn, we, too, will have ours in Delhi. We, too, will release list of names; I stand by what I said,” he said. Raut in November 2020 said that he would release names of 120 leaders of the ruling party to the ED and Ministry of Finance and await action against them.

Further, Raut dismissed the notice to Parab as an attempt to target Thackeray and said they remain unfazed by such moves. When asked if the action against Parab, who is close to CM Thackeray and his family, was a warning to Thackeray, Raut dismissed it and said, “Many people are close to the chief minister, not just one leader. Anil Deshmukh too was close to Sharad Pawar. I also got a notice. We do not worry about any such warning. You can use these agencies as weapons.

Gawali, meanwhile, said that the ED raid on the institutions she runs in Vidarbha district was tryannical. Comparing the use of agencies against political opponents to the Emergency, she said, “These raids are tyrannical and akin the Emergency... I think this is being done to damage me, a five-term MP, who has been working for the people. Shiv Sena ministers and representatives are being targeted. I have institutions, including schools and Ayurveda college, which have been raided today. I did not get any notice.”

Raut echoed Gawali’s view and added that such things won’t have any adverse impact on the party in the local body polls. “Shiv Sena is the target and everyone knows why it is being done. However, it will have an iota of impact on the Maharashta Vikas Aghadi. Shiv Sena’s resolve will not be dented, instead it will be strengthened. People understand everything and it will have no impact on the urban local body elections.”