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Finishing off rivals through central agencies new policy: Sanjay Raut attacks Centre
Sanjay Raut alleged that Central investigating agencies are working at the behest of the ruling party to finish off political rivals in Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Centre, alleging the misuse of investigative agencies. This attack came after a few ministers in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government faced the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax raids.
Raut alleged that Central investigating agencies are working at the behest of the ruling party to finish off political rivals in Maharashtra. "Is there a rule of law or (a rule of) raids in Maharashtra? This is the question which comes to one's mind considering the record-break raids being conducted through Central investigating agencies," news agency PTI quoted Raut as writing in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' of which he is the executive editor.
Earlier, Delhi rulers used to lie but now (ordering) frequent raids have become a new business without any capital investment, PTI reported him saying further.
Finishing off the unwanted political rivals through these agencies seems to have become a new policy, Raut stated.
"Use people's money, government machinery to remove political opponents. In the past, contract killings were the order of the day in Mumbai (when Underworld was active). Hitmen were hired on contract to kill rivals (by gangs). This is now replaced by 'government killing'. Central investigating agencies are working as contract killers for the party in power in Delhi," Raut was quoted as saying.
Speaking over the arrest of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik's son-in-law Sameer Khan by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Raut said that anti-drug agency could find only herbal tobacco in Khan's possession even though he was arrested under the pretext of his involvement in a drug racket and put in jail for eight months.
"Now the court has granted him bail. The court said herbal tobacco was found in the possession of Khan and not drugs. Malik should file cases against NCB officials," Raut said in the write-up.
The Sena leader then went on to attack the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for raiding homes of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh instead of finding out the whereabouts of Param Bir Singh, the former commissioner of Mumbai police, who had accused Deshmukh of corruption with the help of some police officers when he was serving as the home minister of the state.
Raut also slammed the raids conducted recently by the Income Tax department on the family members of NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
(With agency inputs)
