With just five days to for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, the BJP on Thursday sharpened its attack against its principal rival, by accusing Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray of indulging in money laundering.
BJP’s senior MP Kirit Somaiya, who had in the past accused the Shiv Sena of running “mafia raj” in the BMC, turned up the heat on Uddhav, by demanding to know if he had any links with seven shell companies allegedly involved in money laundering.
Daring Uddhav to declare his assets, Somaiya tweeted, “I have disclosed my assets then why @uddhavthackeray not disclosing assetsIJ Is he afraid of connection with 7 shell companies involved in money launderingIJ”
Naming seven shell companies linked to Maharashtra’s former deputy Chief Minister and incarcerated senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal who is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in two money laundering cases, Somaiya demanded to know if these companies had indulged in money laundering transactions with the Uddhav-linked companies.
Simultaneously, Maharashtra’s BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari dared Uddhav to declare his assets. “BJP president Amit Shah has declared his assets in the 2007 and 2012 Assembly polls. likewise, will Uddhav declare his assetsIJ” Bhandari asked.
Reacting to the demand made by senior Sena leader and MP Rahul Shewale that the BJP president declare his assets first, Bhandari said, “The Sena seems to forget that Amitbhai Shah’s 2012 election affidavit is already in public domain. All the same, we are once again releasing his affidavit to fulfil their demand”.
Earlier, contesting the “baseless” allegations being made by Somaiya against Sena president, Shewale dared the BJP-led Devendra Fadnavis dispensation in the State and the NDA Government to order an enquiry into the assets of Uddev and other Thackeray family members.
Dismissing all the allegations made by Somaiya against the Sena president, Shewale said at a news conference here, “I say it full responsibility, Uddhav and his family members are not running or linked to any shell companies. Nor do they have unaccounted assets. If the chief minister has the courage, he should make the allegations with proof. But, I ask the BJP leaders not to make baseless allegations to malign the image of my president and his family members.”
“The desperate manner in which the chief minister is making personal allegations against my party president goes to prove that the BJP has indirectly accepted the defeat in the BMC polls. Devendra Fadnavis is the weakest and most ill-informed chief minister that Maharashtra has seen so far. He has absolutely no knowledge of administration,” Shewale contended.
Shewale’s counter to the BJP came a day after Fadnavis had at an election rally demanded that Uddhav disclose his assets.
Reacting to Shewale’s dare that the state and central governments order a probe into the assets of the Sena president and his family members, Bhandari said: “As far as ordering probe into the assets of Thackeray family is concerned, we have not so far spoken in those terms. My request to the Sena: not to force us to do so”.