Sharad Pawar's Grandnephew's Request To Probe Agency Over Summons Date

Nationalist Congress Party MLA Rohit Pawar on Friday requested the Enforcement Directorate to call him for questioning on January 22 or 23 and not on January 24.

The ED has summoned Rohit Pawar (38), a grandnephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed, for questioning on January 24 as part of its money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam.

The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank money laundering case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing.

Protesters from all over Maharashtra will be coming to Mumbai on January 24 seeking quota for the Maratha community, and, therefore, a request has been made to the ED for change in date of summons, the MLA from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP told PTI.

"I have requested the ED to call me for questioning on January 22 or 23. The ED officials are not at fault as they are implementing orders. Cooperating with them is the responsibility of all," he said.

Meanwhile, the NCP slammed the BJP on the issue.

If Rohit Pawar is summoned by a Central agency, then several others who were accused by BJP leaders (of irregularities) before they joined the saffron party must also be called for questioning, NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

The Central agencies should bring to justice those tainted leaders who are now "clean in the BJP washing machine", he added.

"The constant pressure on Rohit Pawar through Central agencies is nothing but political vendetta to muzzle the voice of a man who is showing the BJP its dirty side. Rohit Pawar is a bold voice and BJP will not be able to keep him quiet," Crasto asserted.

The ED had raided the premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, and some linked entities on January 5 in Baramati, Pune, Aurangabad and some other locations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)