BJP uses CBI, ED against opponents when it is scared: Nana Patole

PTI, Jan 24, 2024, 6:51 PM IST

Nana Patole (Credit: PTI Photo)

Bhiwandi: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said on Wednesday that the BJP uses central agencies like the ED and CBI against opponents when it is scared.

“The fear of BJP is surfacing because they have now called NCP’s Rohit Pawar for questioning,” Patole told reporters here.

Karjat Jamkhed MLA Rohit Pawar, the grand nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Wednesday for questioning in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, an official said earlier.

The probe stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing. The ED had conducted searches on January 5 on the of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, and some linked entities in Baramati, Pune, Aurangabad and some other locations.

The opposition has repeatedly accused the BJP of misusing agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED to target rivals.

The NCP faction under Sharad Pawar, Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) are partners in the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra.

Patole said the Congress is holding division-wise review meetings in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

“Our organisation is strong till the booth level. We will fix lacunae, if any, during these meetings. Maha Vikas Aghadi will win the most number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.

Maharashtra sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, second after UP’s 80.

In the 2019 general elections, the BJP had won in 23 constituencies, followed by the undivided Shiv Sena, which bagged 18 seats. While the NCP had won four seats, one seat each went to Congress, AIMIM and an independent candidate.