Sharad Pawar slams BJP for misuse of NCB and other central agencies

NCP President Sharad Pawar addresses the press at the NCP headquarters at Ballard Estate; the party`s state president Jayant Patil (centre) and Hemant Takle are also seen. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Nationalist Congress Party boss Sharad Pawar has come down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘misusing' Centre-controlled institutions like the Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department, Central Bureau of Investigation and Narcotics Control Bureau for political gains. He said since the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government could not be pulled down in the past two years, its leaders and their families are being targeted.

Addressing a media conference on Wednesday, Pawar referred to the income tax raids on the sisters and son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. He said the action will not break the MVA leaders' resolve and will. In the Anil Deshmukh case, he wanted to know the whereabouts of ex-Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh who had levelled serious charges against the former home minister. Pawar said Deshmukh's family was hounded with raids on their properties for the fifth time.

In 2019, Pawar had created a furore when he had announced to turn up voluntarily at the ED office in Mumbai in connection with a bank case. The incident gave Pawar massive traction ahead of the Assembly polls, after which he built a tripartite arrangement between the NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress, keeping the BJP at bay.

On the NCB

Raising serious doubts over the NCB raids on a cruise party in which actor Shah Rukh Khan's son has been arrested, Pawar directly attacked the agency's Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede. "I tried to dig out some information about Wankhede. I have heard many stories of him when he served in the Customs Department at Mumbai airport. But I will not say much about him today," he said, adding that the NCB was only trying to please its political bosses in New Delhi. "The quantity of drugs seized by the Mumbai Police is much more than NCB's miniscule haul," said the former CM, and questioned the sagging reputation of the agency.

On Fadnavis

Pawar also took a dig at former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the latter's remark that he still felt like a CM. "I was the CM four times. But I did not realise it. I think I lacked something," he said, adding that unexpected loss of power did make some people think that way. Fadnavis had made the observation at a public event in Navi Mumbai, and has been at the receiving end ever since.

Fadnavis responded saying that the difference between him and Pawar was that he had been a CM for five years while the NCP boss could never complete his term even once. "Pawar is a big leader. I wish he had stayed five years working hard for the people. I'm happy that the MVA is restless because of my work in the opposition," he said.

On Lakhimpur Kheri

Pawar thanked Maharashtra for supporting the bandh called to show solidarity with the Uttar Pradesh farmers. He demanded the resignation of union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra whose son has been arrested on the charges of killing the farmers. "The CM of UP, the union minister and their party cannot escape the responsibility of the incident," he said.