Now, I-T dept goes after Shiv Sena corporator

Yashwant Jadhav and his wife Yamini

Yashwant Jadhav, a Shiv Sena corporator and BMC's standing committee chairman, has joined the list of politicians who have come under the scanner of central agencies in the recent past. Ahead of civic polls, the Income Tax department on Friday began searching the premises belonging to Jadhav's family for alleged tax evasion. The searches were continuing at the time of going to print.

The action against Jadhav came two days after the Enforcement Directorate arrested Maharashtra state minorities and skill development minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik in a money laundering case. Malik has been remanded in ED's custody till March 3. Sources said I-T officials along with a posse of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel arrived at Jadhav's home at Bilakhadi Chamber in Mazgaon around 6 am. More teams also landed at other places including his son Nikhil's home.

The searches, sources said, are linked to alleged discrepancies in the election affidavit of Yamini Jadhav, an MLA and wife of Yashwant Jadhav, filed before the 2019 assembly election. Yamini was also a former corporator from Mazgaon. Sources said I-T suspects that some of her transactions with a Kolkata-based company were a conduit for laundering money to the UAE.

Security personnel outside Jadhav's Mazagaon home on Friday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The homes and offices of Jadhav's personal assistant and contractors involved in various civic works were also being searched at places like Mazgaon, Kalachowki, Malad, Borivali, and Mulund. Jadhav was elected as a corporator in 1997, 2007 and 2017. He has been the chairman of BMC's standing committee for the last four years. The committee approves all the financial transactions of the corporation worth thousands of crores every year.

As the news spread, Sena workers gathered in large numbers near Jadhav's home. As a result, most parts of Mazgaon remained closed throughout the day. As Sena workers became enraged over the action, Mayor Kishori Pednekar visited the spot and appealed for calm.

"States like Jharkhand, West Bengal and Punjab where the BJP is not in power are facing similar issues and we are ready to face them too. Central agencies are being used for political gain. We will follow the Constitution, and the truth will prevail," said Pednekar. She added that I-T is working as per procedure and Yashwant Jadhav whom she called "son of Dr Babasaheb Ambedar" is cooperating with them. "Such searches are common and there is no need to exaggerate them," she said.

The mayor said similar allegations were made against her in 2020, but nothing came out of them. Even Chagan Bhujbal faced an inquiry and now he has become a minister after getting a clean chit, she said.

CRPF personnel outside Bilakhadi Chamber, Mazagaon, where the I-T searches were carried out on Friday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Prabhakar Shinde, group leader of the BJP, said they have been speaking against corruption in the BMC. "We strongly opposed the proposal of R3,800 crore of COVID expenses and demanded an inquiry by the CAG. We had written to various authorities and even protested against the corruption… The authorities will work as per the rule and the truth will come out." "The agencies are doing their job. The machinery is fair and truth will be revealed by these investigating agencies," said Aashish Shelar, BJP leader.

In 2020, Jadhav was involved in a controversy after an audio clip purportedly of him threatening a contractor to withdraw from projects had gone viral. In January, BJP leaders in the BMC had written a letter to move a no-confidence motion against him, alleging that he did not allow members of the standing committee to speak on "corruption" in many projects. Last month, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged that Jadhav had moved R15 crore to his family's account via shell companies. He had demanded a probe by the ED.