'We don't resort to politics of revenge': Fadnavis on Bhujbal's arrest

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devandra Fadnavis on Tuesday asserted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chhagan Bhujbal on the basis of evidence, adding the state government doesn't believe in taking revenge.

"Chhagan Bhujbal has been arrested by ED on the basis of evidences found in the investigation against him. We don't resort to politics of revenge. If there is corruption, scam taking place then the investigating agencies can't sit back," Fadnavis said in the state assembly.

"It is not good that the Opposition uses the assembly to put pressure on the investigating agencies. The state government will take action against any corruption and will not spare anyone against whom evidences are found," he added.

Hinting out at the political vendetta by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state over the Maharashtra Sadan scam, NCP chief Sharad Pawar today defended Bhujbal and expressed hope that an appropriate decision would be taken in this case as per the law.

"I am confident that we will fight the legal action and we are hopeful that appropriate decision will be there," Pawar told the media in the national capital.

"I don't want to comment whether it is (a political vendetta). One should understand because the ruling party MP is making statement on television, he and the Chief Minister, we are waiting on that," he added.

Asserting that he was not surprised over the latest development in this case, Pawar claimed that the decision over the construction of Maharashtra Sadan was not taken by Bhujbal alone.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) last night arrested Chhagan Bhujbal, a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and senior NCP leader, in connection with an investigation into government contracts he awarded as public works department minister during the previous Congress-NCP regime in Maharashtra.

He was arrested last night after the ED officials questioned him for more than eleven hours at its Mumbai office.

The move comes after the arrest of Bhujbal's nephew Sameer by the ED last month. Sameer is currently lodged in Mumbai's Arthur Road jail. Bhujbal's son Pankaj has also been questioned in the case.

The ED has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals' and others under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land grabbing case.

The ED has also ordered attachment of three properties with an estimated worth of over Rs. 280 crore.