Pawar slams Maharashtra govt for 'targeting opposition'

NCP chief says the state govt is targetting the Bhujbal family and pressuring the investigating agencies

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday alleged that the Maharashtra government was targeting important leaders of opposition parties in the state and "blatantly misusing" the state machinery.

Pawar was reacting a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former MP Sameer Bhujbal under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with the contention that he was not co-operating with investigation and thus his custodial interrogation was necessary. 

The NCP leader, who was recently discharged from hospital, also defended former minister Chhagan Bhujbal, saying the Bhujbal family is "being targeted and the investigating agencies are being pressured".

"I have seen other governments besides [those headed by] the Congress and the NCP. I have very closely observed the Shiv Sena and the BJP government in 1995. But in a democracy, I have not seen such blatant misuse of power in the past 40 years," Pawar said.

However, he clarified that former public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal should co-operate with the investigation and come out clean of all charges.

ED has filed two FIRs against the Bhujbals and others under the provisions of the PMLA, based on the FIRs filed earlier by Mumbai police to probe the Delhi-based Maharashtra Sadan construction scam and the Kalina land-grabbing case.

Pawar said it was quite unprecedented that three central agencies are investigating one allegation. ''It means that they want to continue investigating till they get what they want. There is just one family that is being targetted here for political gains," he added.

Meanwhile, he said the drought situation in Maharashtra was very serious and he has asked the party workers to ignore the political vendetta and concentrate on helping the affected people.