Maharashtra: ED action will not deter Rohit Pawar, BJP nervous after his yatra, says Sharad Pawar-led NCP

Clyde Crasto. Pic/X

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action will not deter party's MLA Rohit Pawar and the BJP is nervous after his yatra, the PTI reported.

According to the PTI, the NCP said that Rohit Pawar's just concluded "Yuva Sangharsh Yatra" that has "hit a nerve" and made the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) insecure, the remarks came in after the ED searched premises of a firm owned by him.

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The ED searched premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, grand nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and linked entities as part of a money laundering probe into the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, official sources said in New Delhi, as per the PTI.

The money laundering case stems from an August, 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police Economic Offences (EOW) wing.

The police complaint came after the Bombay High Court issued an order on August 22 that year to investigate the allegations of selling sugar factories in the Maharashtra cooperative sector through alleged fraudulent means and also that they were sold at throw away prices, the news agency reported.

Reacting to the ED action, NCP (Sharad Pawar group) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that the central agency's searches will not deter Rohit Pawar, a first-time MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district, or stop him in his tracks.

"He will come out stronger. It is clear that the Sangharsh Yatra has hit a nerve and made the BJP insecure," Crasto claimed, the news agency reported on Friday.

The NCP spokesperson said that the justice system is supreme and the truth will ultimately prevail.

Rohit Pawar, currently abroad on a family vacation, had taken out the foot march from Pune to Nagpur late last year to highlight the issues faced by youths in Maharashtra.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya demanded expeditious probe into the acquisition of a cooperative sugar factory by Baramati Agro.

The former MP wrote on social media platform X, "We requested ED to investigate acquisition of Kannad cooperative sugar factory by Rohit Pawar's Baramati Agro at very much under valued price of Rs 50 cr through manipulated auction of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank."

"I once again request all investigative agencies to expedite investigation against Rohit Pawar and Baramati Agro," Somaiya said.

The Kannad sugar cooperative unit was worth hundreds of crores, but it was acquired by Baramati Agro for just Rs 50 crore, he said.

(with PTI inputs)