Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said that the Mumbai Police will soon launch a probe into criminal syndicate and extortion racket in collusion with Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. Talking to news agency ANI, he said, “Take my word, some of these ED officers will also go to jail.”
Raut’s statement came at a time when the Income Tax Department raided several close friends of Shiv Sena minister Aditya Thackeray and minister Anil Parab in Maharashtra on Tuesday. IT raids in Mumbai and Pune are running on those close to Shiv Sena leaders.
Shiv Sena spokesperson said that till now ED action has been taken against 14 prominent people of Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra. Action is being taken against 60 people in West Bengal, but no action is being taken by ED and IT against the people of BJP.
Mumbai police will begin the investigation of criminal syndicate and extortion racket by a nexus of ED officials. Mark my words, some of these ED officers will go to jail too: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/yFPCEmBtAF
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2022
‘Why are agencies targeting selected people?’
Raut further said that there is a question in everyone’s mind across the country that why are the central investigative agencies targeting only the selected people only in states like Maharashtra and West Bengal? So far, Maharashtra has witnessed the maximum number of ED raids.
He said that the only work left for the ED and other central probe agencies is that wherever there are Shiv Sena workers, wherever there is a Shiv Sena branch, wherever Shiv Sena people are going to contest elections. Will raid there.
Aaditya Thackeray’s aide raided
The Income Tax Department is conducting raids on more than 20 premises across Maharashtra including Mumbai and Pune. Of these, 12 sites are located in Mumbai. According to media reports, Income Tax department raids are also going on in Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena office-bearer and Shirdi Trust member Rahul Kanal.
Kanal is considered close to Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray. This is the reason why political allegations and counter-allegations have started in this case. The Income Tax Department had recently raided the offices and premises of various BMC contractors and Shiv Sena leaders.
‘Maharashtra will not bow down’
When asked about the raids, Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said central agencies were misused in the past, it happened in Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and now it is happening in Maharashtra also. He alleged that the central agencies have in a way become the propaganda machinery of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But we will not bow down, Maharashtra will not bow down.
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