Sharad Pawar disapproves of ED action against MVA leaders, to raise issue in Parliament

On Tuesday, NCP president Sharad Pawar lashed out at the Union government for purportedly using the Enforcement Directorate as a tool to "discourage" political opponents. Addressing the media in Pune, he opined that people had to come to know about the existence of the ED only in the last few years of the NDA dispensation. Condemning the alleged "interference" of the central agency, he dubbed it a blow to the rights of the state. Most importantly, Pawar revealed that he will try to raise this issue in the next session of Parliament. 

"Never before in so many years have so many ED cases been heard in Maharashtra. An inquiry is underway against several leaders like Eknath Khadse, Anil Deshmukh and Pratap Sarnaik. Attempts are being made to discourage opponents by using the ED as a tool," Pawar asserted. 

Anil Deshmukh under scanner

Sharad Pawar's intervention comes at a juncture when NCP's Anil Deshmukh is under the scanner of both the ED and the CBI. The latter's woes started on February 20 when ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh levelled serious 'extortion' charges against Deshmukh. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh alleged that the NCP leader had asked Sachin Vaze to extort Rs.100 crore per month from 1750 bars, restaurants, and other establishments in Mumbai.

After the HC directed the CBI to carry out a preliminary enquiry into these allegations, Deshmukh resigned as the Home Minister and was replaced by Dilip Walse Patil. On April 21, the CBI registered an FIR against the NCP leader and unknown individuals under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120 B of the IPC. According to the FIR, the former Maharashtra Home Minister was aware that dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze was entrusted with most of the sensational and important cases of Mumbai.

It accused him and others of exercising undue influence over the transfer and posting of officials. Subsequently, the ED filed an ECIR against Anil Deshmukh on May 11 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification which was based on the corruption case registered by the CBI. On June 26, it arrested the NCP leader's personal secretary Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde who were remanded to custody. After Deshmukh skipped the ED summons 5 times in a row, citing pending legal remedies, a lookout notice was issued against him.