When NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, one of the complaints that the former raised was Enforcement Directorate’s action against Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
The ED, on Tuesday, provisionally attached eight properties in Alibaug and one residential flat in Dadar belonging to Raut and his wife Varsha. While the flat is in the name of Raut, the eight plots of land in Kihim near Alibaug are jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Raut’s friend Sujit Patkar. The action has been taken in a case relating to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra Chawl project at Goregaon in Mumbai.
According to ED, money trail transactions have revealed that around Rs 100 crore were transferred from HDIL to the account of Pravin Raut, former director of Guru Ashish Constructions which was entrusted with development of Patra Chawl project. Pravin Raut is alleged to be partner of Sanjay Raut. This Rs 100 crore were further diverted by Pravin Raut to various accounts of his close associates and family members. It was also revealed that during 2010 part of the proceeds of the crime, amounting to Rs 55 lakhs, were received in the account of Varsha Raut, and Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut.
Pawar is learnt to have told Modi that ED took action against Raut because he is speaking against central government. He also told Modi that there was no need to take action against Raut and what had happened was totally unfair. “On what basis was the action taken against Raut ? This is injustice. What is the provocation, just because he is making statements against government,” Pawar said while speaking to media in Delhi.
What is not known though is what Modi told Pawar during the 20 minute meeting between the two of them.
Action against Raut is clearly being seen as an attempt to stifle the voice of the opposition as he is one of the most vocal critics of BJP and is also one of the architects of MVA government in Maharashtra. MVA leaders have been saying time and again that central agencies are playing a dirty game of targeting anyone who speaks against central government and the BJP.
So far, two senior MVA ministers have been arrested by ED. Former home minister Anil Deshmukh is now in CBI custody while labour and minority affairs minister Nawab Malik is in ED custody. ED has also attached properties of Shridhar Patankar, brother-in-law of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The action against Raut on Tuesday was the latest blow by the investigating agency to the MVA government.