Uddhav calls Hiray’s arrest smacks of politics
A day after his arrest, Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Advay Hiray was remanded to police custody till November 20; Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray calls it ‘vendetta politics’
PUNE A day after his arrest, Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy leader Advay Hiray was remanded to police custody till November 20 by a local court in Malegaon amid opposition accusing the state government of “vendetta politics.”
Hiray was facing cases over non-repayment of loans taken from the Nashik District Co-Operative Bank for textile mills in Malegaon.
According to Malegaon police, Renuka Textile Mill had taken a loan worth ₹7.5 crore which swelled to over ₹32 crore due to failure to repay. This followed a case against Hiray in April this year. After the High Court declined to entertain interim bail, police arrested him from Bhopal early Wednesday morning.
While reacting to the arrest, Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, said, “On one hand investigating agencies are acting quickly against our leaders, there is however not even a single probe against those affiliated to ruling parties.”
Earlier in the day, another Sena leader from UBT camp Sanjay Raut said, his arrest was a result of political pressure from ruling parties as Hiray had galvanised the cadre in Malegaon and was preparing for polls.
Hiray’s supporters blamed his adversary in politics and Public Works Department (PWD) minister Dadaji Bhuse for the arrest.
Bhuse however denied charges saying, “There is no one above the law and the Constitution.”
In Malegaon politics, Hiray is an arch-rival of Shinde loyalist Bhuse and had left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to join the Shiv Sena (UBT) after the split within the Shiv Sena.
