Agencies like Enforcement Directorate are not important as they are increasingly being used in a political power game, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut said a day after his wife was summoned again for questioning in the PMC bank fraud case. Declaring that political battles should be "fought face to face", he said, "I have spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena will answer them in its own way. No need to panic".
"The importance of ED, CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) or the Income Tax Department is decreasing. Earlier, when this agency took any action, it seemed that there was something serious. But for the last few years, it seems action from this agency happens when a political party is taking out its anger," Mr Raut told the media today.
The Sena leader said he has a file on BJP which contains 121 names and he would soon give it to the Enforcement Directorate.
"There are so many names that the ED will have to work for five years," he added.
Mr Raut's wife Varsha Raut has to meet officials at the Mumbai office of the Enforcement Directorate on December 29. The agency is investigating alleged financial transactions between Varsha Raut and Pravin Raut, who is under arrest in the case, sources said.
Varsha Raut has been summoned for questioning in the case, which involves an alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank. She had skipped the two earlier summons on health grounds -- the last time she was asked to join the probe on December 11.
The Shiv Sena -- which rules Maharashtra in alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party -- has been accusing the BJP of vendetta politics. Eknath Khadse, who changed camp from the BJP to NCP, has been summoned for questioning by the ED on December 30 in connection with a money laundering case.
The case dates back from October last year and investigations are on regarding alleged irregularities in certain loan accounts of the bank. A major one is the loan given to financially stressed real estate player Housing Development & Infrastructure or HDIL.
Its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and his son Sarang Wadhawan, its former chairman Waryam Singh and ex-managing director Joy Thomas are being investigated by the agency.
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