In a sensational charge that came on the heels of the Income Tax department carrying out a series of raids at its various offices in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was running a major “extortion racket” in Maharashtra and the investigating agency had become an “ATM” for the ruling BJP at the Centre.
Talking to media persons here, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member and party’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said: “The ED’s top official contested the recent elections on a BJP ticket. The ED has become an ATM for the BJP. I have given all the details of the extortion indulged in by the ED to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Modi government is misusing its investigating agencies to harass and victimise its political rivals”.
Charging that the maximum ED and IT searches were taking place in Shiv shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)-ruled Maharashtra and TMC-ruled West Bengal, Raut said: “Today, a series of raids are being carried out by Income Tax department in Maharashtra. The ED and Income Tax departments have carried out 14 operations in Maharashtra and 7 operations in West Bengal.
The sole intent behind the raids is to instill fear in the minds of political rival and topple the two Opposition-led state governments”.
“Today, IT raids are taking at Sena offices across Mumbai. My gut feeling is that these raids will continue till the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections are over. The Ed has already initiated proceedings against 14 MVA leaders. The ED and IT are doing nothing against moneyed BJP leaders. The Shiv Sena will make a shocking disclosure as to who is behind these operations,” the Sena spokesperson said.
Among other things, Raut charged that acting at the behest of the BJP, the ED had zeroed in on around 100 top builders and corporate houses to ‘extort’ hundreds of crores of rupees from them.
“BJP’s former MP Kirit Somaiya is acting as the ED’s conduit to extort money from builders. One Jitendra Chandralal Navlani, who is a director in 7 private companies is acting as the keeper of the ill-gotten wealth and benami properties of ED officials and BJP leaders,” Raut alleged.
Explaining the modus-operandi of the “extortion racket” indulged in by the ED at the behest of the BJP, Raut said: “Soon after the ED begins investigations against the targeted builders and corporate houses, large sums of monies are transferred from various targeted persons to Navlani's seven companies. Who is he and what are his connections with the BJP leaders? Will the ED-Income tax department take action against him?”.
Raut went onto allege that everal big companies including the chemical company United Phosphorus Ltd, engineering company Larsen & Toubro and companies like K Raheja Pvt. Ltd. DHFL, India Bulls, HDIL, Omkar Realty, Wadhwa Realty, Inorbit Malls, DB Realty, builder Avinash Bhosale, Panorama Studios, Pallazio Hotels, Gaylord Co. Ltd, Monsher Fire Protection Systems Pvt. Ltd., Nerka Chemicals, had “transferred” huge sums of money to Navlani’s various companies.
Raut said that after these ‘bribe’ monies were transferred, the ED went slow in its investigations.