Sharad Pawar Hits Out At BJP Over Sameer Bhujbal's Arrest

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has come out in support of Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who was arrested yesterday in a money laundering case.

Hitting out at the Devendra Fadnavis Government, the NCP chief said, "I haven't seen the government machinery going to someone's office and conducting raids thrice over on just a single allegation".
He also asked the Bhujbals to cooperate with the investigation, saying details will be revealed after the inquiry.

The NCP has already called the arrest as "vendetta politics". "This has been done to support BJP whose Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya first makes a statement and then two days later, action (by ED) happens," NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik had said on Monday.

Mr Bhujbal, a lawmaker from Nashik, was arrested after the Enforcement Directorate raided eight premises belonging to Chhagan Bhujbal, former PWD minister, and his family.  The arrest was preceded by six hours of questioning in Mumbai and he was produced in court today. Mr Bhujbal will remain in ED's custody till February 8.

Hundreds of NCP supporters held protests in Nasik today, demanding that Mr Bhujbal be released.

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The agency - which is probing the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case - has filed two First Information Reports against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Chhagan Bhujbal has denied all charges. "There was no corruption in the Maharashtra Sadan case. Reports by several agencies have confirmed this," he said. These reports, he said, have been out in the media but despite that the agency is investigating the case. "Sameer and my family have not been involved in any corruption case," he added.

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The Enforcement Directorate's action came after the Bombay High Court, on January 28, sought progress reports from it and the state Anti-Corruption Bureau on their probe against Mr Bhujbal and his family members. In December 2014, the court had formed a Special Investigation Team comprising the ED Director and the Director General of state Anti-Corruption Bureau to conduct the inquiry against the politician and others.