Centre misusing CBI, ED for politics: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said they are not worried about Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh’s residence

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said they are not worried about Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh’s residence. Interacting with media at NCP party office in Pune, he said, “The Central government is misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED for political agenda, and it’s not new for Maharashtra and other states.”

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ED on Friday raided Deshmukh’s residence at Nagpur. Reacting to the raid, Pawar said, “There’s nothing new about ED raids; such raids happened previously also. I am sure they would not find anything. As ED did not getting anything, out of frustration they are arresting someone.”

Pawar said, “I have been in the political sphere for a long time, but never saw that any political party passed any resolution to start CBI inquiry against opposition party leader. Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) state president Chandrakant Patil passed such resolution in its state level meeting and demanded CBI inquiry against deputy CM Ajit Pawar.”

He added, “The BJP is ruling in the Centre and CBI is under the Central government; as it is they are misusing it.”

The NCP chief also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Kashmir leaders and said, “It is good that the Central government realised they did nothing in Kashmir despite the promises. Let’s hope that the PM would keep his promises given to all party leaders in Kashmir.”

Meanwhile, Pawar is likely to bat for common leadership in the upcoming Lok Sabha election instead of giving single face from opposition parties. Pawar said, “I expressed my opinion very clearly that opposition parties should do alliance along with the Congress. There is a need to have common leadership.”