As the first anniversary of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi approaches, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) along with the help of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) raided the home and around nine other premises of senior Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik, before detaining his son Vihang, in Mumbai on Tuesday (November 24).
The reason, the ED used central forces to help conduct the raid is being seen as a lack of trust on the part of the Mumbai Police which comes under the preview of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackray.
The ED teams raided the house of Sarnaik in Thane’s Hiranandani Complex and in that process picked up his son Vihang Sarnaik.
The operation took four-hour then the ED team proceeded to the home of Vihang’s businessman brother, Purvesh Sarnaik.
According to reports, incriminating evidences have been gathered after simultaneous raids were carried out at the locations in Mumbai and Thane under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), official sources said.
Sarnaik, is a three-time MLA from Ovala-Majiwada constituency in Thane, and is the Chairman of Vihang Group of Companies with interests in varied sectors.
Immeadetley the ruling Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress party called these raids politically motivated and that the raids were conducted on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) o pressurise the MVA government and demoralise its leaders.
Sena Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “We all know that the ED and CBI are being misused They are puppets in the hands of the Centre. But, we will not bow down before anybody,”.
Raut further added that the MVA will complete its full remaining term of four years, “and we will rule for another 25 years”. He also warned that the Shiv Sena dirt on BJP leaders, pertaining to money-laundering, ‘benami’ properties and other scams.
NCP senior leader and Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said “First they targeted (NCP President) Sharad Pawar with a notice last year, and then many other Opposition party leaders in Rajasthan, Maharashtra or other statesThis is sheer vendetta politics. But they will never succeed in their intentions,”.
Senior Congress state President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said the BJP is using “all central agencies are being misused for political gains to build pressures”.
“The BJP has been constantly targeting political opponents like this Have you ever heard about any raids on people linked with BJP,” Thorat demanded.