Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The claims of veteran politician Chhagan Bhujbal that he switched over from the Opposition to treasury benches because of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) threat has snowballed into a major political issue in poll-bound Maharashtra.
Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s book 2024: The Election that Surprised India, has quoted Bhujbal, a senior NCP leader and state’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister, that he left Sharad Pawar and joined Ajit Pawar to become part of the BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) because of the Enforcement Directorate.
In the book, Sardesai writes, “…Just a few days earlier, he had received yet another notice from the ED in an alleged money laundering case. The original case had been filed in 2016, and the matter had been dragging on ever since. Accused, along with his son and nephew, of irregularities in awarding contracts worth over Rs 100 crore to a Mumbai developer, Bhujbal had already spent two and a half years in jail before he was granted bail….”
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) slapped the BJP for misuse of central agencies - Income Tax, Central Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement Directorate.
“I have told this many times…I have said in the Parliament…the BJP is misusing ICE to target political opponents…IT, CBI and ED,” said Supriya Sule, the NCP (SP) Working President and Lok Sabha MP from Baramati.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member said that BJP has misused central agencies and he himself had been a victim. “I did not bow down…I went to jail (and now I am on bail) …there are several others who feared the central agencies and switched over to the NDA camp,” he said.
NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “It is appalling to see senior leaders openly confessing to joining the ruling party to evade investigation." "Such admissions only reinforce the belief that the BJP operates as a 'washing machine' where corrupt leaders enter and emerge spotless," Tapase stated.
He argued that this culture undermines the spirit of democracy and threatens to weaken public trust in the country’s legal and judicial systems.
Referring to the “washing machine culture”, Tapase emphasised that several political leaders facing scrutiny from central agencies, such as the ED, seem to experience a “cleansing” of charges upon joining the BJP.
“This pattern of selective enforcement fosters a dangerous precedent, allowing leaders with allegations to join the ruling party to avoid prosecution,” Tapase added.
Chhagan Bhujbal threatens legal action
In the above controversy Bhujbal has threatened legal action saying, “Right now elections are happening…we are tied up. I have not read it…I don’t know what is written and not…once the elections are over, I will surely read it…I will also seek legal advice…my lawyers would take a call."
“As far as I am concerned, I have been given a clean chit by the court and hence there is no threat of ED action against me,” he said, denying reports that he switched over from opposition to treasury benches fearing ED action.
“Our joining (the BJP-led Maha Yuti) was for development (of state and respective constituencies),” he said. Asked whether he was targeted because he is an OBC leader, he said, “There are several non-OBC leaders who got notices (from central agencies).”
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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