Mumbai: A day before the Supreme Court hearing on MLAs disqualification issues, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) swooped on Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut here on Sunday.
A team of ED along with a posse of police and Central security agency landed at Raut’s Bhandup residence at dawn as part of the investigations into the Patra Chawl land scam case.
Raut tweeted: “Shiv Sena zindabad. Will keep fighting”, even as scores of his supporters staged a sit-in protest outside his home.
The ED has in the past recorded the statements of Raut and his wife Varsha Raut.
Earlier, the ED had attached properties worth Rs 9 crore linked to Raut’s aide Pravin Raut besides assets valued at around Rs 2 crore, belonging to his wife Varsha.
The stormy petrel of Shiv Sena, Raut (60), is a four-time MP and Shiv Sena’s Parliamentary Party leader, faces a case that has been registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act vis-a-vis the Rs 1,034 crore land scam.
Sena Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant termed the ED action as “an act of vengeance done with political motive”.
He also said that both Raut and his wife had appeared before the ED and their statements have been recorded.
Congress Chief Spokespersons Atul Londhe slammed the raids and said that now all the Central agencies have become “political tools” of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to harass politicians and opponents.
Nationalist Congress Party’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar declined to comment saying that he has not got the full details of the ED action against Raut.
BJP’ Kirit Somaiya, Ram Kadam and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Group MLAs welcomed the ED action on the Sena leader.
–IANS