Sharad Pawar gets I-T notice over poll affidavits; terms it ‘love letter’

Terming the notice as a “love letter”, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar said it showed the qualitative difference with which central agencies act towards leaders of the opposition and those in the government.

The Income Tax department has sent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar a notice in connection with the poll affidavits he had filed in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2020.

The Income Tax notice follows summons by the Enforcement Directorate to him in 2019 ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Terming the notice as a “love letter” Pawar said it showed the qualitative difference with which central agencies act towards leaders of the opposition and those in the government.

The Income Tax notice follows summons by the Enforcement Directorate to him in 2019 ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Addressing the media in Pune following the swearing in of Eknath Shinde as Maharashtra’s new chief minister, Pawar dwelt at some length on the role of central agencies in harassing the government’s political opponents. “Five years ago,” he said, “not many had heard about the central agency but today even in the rural areas they know all about the ED.”

“It is being used against those who have a different (dissenting) view. The help of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and central agencies is being used nowadays and the results are visible. Many members of the Legislative Assembly say they have received notices of inquiry. We didn’t even know the name ED five years ago. Today, even in the villages people jokingly say that you will have ED after you,” Pawar said, adding: “Luckily I have all the information they need in the order.”