BJP slams Shiv Sena for defending 'corruption'; says probe on Raut 'taking its own course'

Cornering the opposition Shiv Sena over causing a ruckus in the Parliament over the ongoing ED investigation against party MP Sanjay Raut, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed the party stating that the opposition is not letting the House function properly. 

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Patra made the statements in reference to Sanjay Raut's ED investigation in connection to the Patra Chawl scam case and further said that corruption should not be defended by the party. 

"We have seen what is happening with Sanjay Raut in Maharashtra. However, the Patra Chawl case is a case from 2007 and is not a new case. Just because Sanjay Raut is an MP, he should not be defended. The investigation is taking its own course", he added. 

In addition to this, Patra while asserting that BJP has zero tolerance for corruption added that action must be taken against all those who have looted the money of the common people. "We request the opposition to not politicise corruption", he said. 

'Opposition defending the offenders, Uddhav proud of Sanjay Raut': Sambit Patra

Speaking over the Patra Chawl scam case, the BJP leader said that it is not a new case but dates back to 2007.

Providing more details about the case, Patra said, "There was an area named name Siddharth Nagar in Mumbai which now is known as Patra Chawl. The area spans over 42 acres of land and over 672 tenants have been living in the chawl for more than a decade. Years back, a company named Guru Ashish Construction was roped in to develop the area, and Sanjay Raut's aide, Pravin Raut was a part of that agreement." 

Levelling serious serious claims against Pravin Raut, the BJP leader added that no development took place in the area and the entire 47 acres of land was sold to the rich people with a fraud of Rs 901 crore out of which Pravin Raut took Rs 138 crore as a booking amount. 

Furthermore, Patra also alleged that a large amount of money from the fraud was given to Sanjay Raut as well and another Rs 83 lakh were given to the Shiv Sena MP's wife Varsha Raut by Madhuri Raut, the wife of Pravin Raut as an unsecured loan. 

Speaking more about Pravin Raut's role in various scams, the BJP leader said that his name also came up when the Wadhwan brothers were prosecuted and quite a lot of documents were found. 

Underlining all the issues, Patra slammed the opposition for defending such "highly corrupted" individuals in the party. He also took a jibe at chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for making a statement that he is proud of Sanjay Raut.

(Image: ANI/Twitter)