Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Monday that the summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to his wife Varsha Raut was an “act of cowardice” and hinted that several political leaders are being targeted by the investigative agency. .
The central agency has subpoenaed Raut’s wife in connection with the PMC Bank money laundering case on December 29. The summons for questioning has been issued to him under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), authorities said.
“Targeting women in a household is an act of cowardice. We are not afraid of anyone and will respond accordingly. ED needed some documents and we have sent them on time, ”Shiv Sena’s deputy told the ANI news agency.
Also read: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha summoned by ED in PMC Bank scam case
ED’s action, Raut said, reflected the “frustration” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against him, due to his role in shaping the government of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) last year and because he did not give in to pressure. . to make it unstable, the PTI news agency reported. The Shiv Sena will respond in equal measure, Raut said.
“In the last year, Sharad Pawar, Eknath Khadse and Pratap Sarnaik received notices and now everyone is discussing my name. All these people are crucial to the formation of the government in Maharashtra, ”said Raut. The Shiv Sena leader also called the ads “pieces of paper, nothing more.”
Claiming that ED has woken up after 10 years, Raut said that his family is middle class and his wife is a teacher. “We are middle class people. My wife had borrowed from a friend 10 years ago to buy a house. Details have been given to the income tax (department) and are also mentioned in my Rajya Sabha affidavit. The emergency department realized this agreement after ten years, ”he said.
Raut also suggested that some BJP leaders who spoke out against him since December 27 used to frequent ED’s office (in South Mumbai) and “took some papers from the office.”
Read also – The time has come to expand the scope of the UPA led by Congress: Sanjay Raut
The call has triggered a wave of political backlash from the Maharashtra government that has said central agencies are being misused to settle political scores. Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray said on Monday that ED’s subpoena for Raut’s wife was “politically motivated”. “The ED measure is politically motivated. We are not afraid. The MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) government is stable, ”Aaditya, who is also the son of Maharashtra’s chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, told reporters when asked about the ED subpoena.
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