In a significant development that the ruling BJP cashed in on to embarss the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday raided seven residential and official premises linked with its former Minister and current MLA Ravindra Waikar, in connection with an alleged money-laundering case.
A team of 10 ED carried out simultaneous searches at various locations at Jogeshwari in north Mumbai for the alleged irregularities in the approvals sought for tthe construction of a deluxe hotel and the famous Matoshree Club.
The ED acted against 64-year-old Waikar and business interests based on a First Information Report ( FIR) registered by the Mumbai police, alleging that the former minister had got “illegal” approvals for building a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a garden and the Matoshree club, from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The ED has alleged the “illegal” approvals granted to Waikar allegedly caused a huge loss to the BMC, which was ruled for more than two and a half decades by the pre-split Shiv Sena headed initially by late Balasahed Thackeray and now by Uddhav Thackeray.
Said to be close to Uddhav Thsckeray, Waikar is a five-time BMC corporator and a three-term MLA. He was a minister in the previous Devendra Fadnavis- headed Shiv Sena-BJP Government in Maharashtra between 2014 and 2019.
Taking to micro blogging site X, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya welcomed ED action against Waikar.
“I welcome ED action against Ravindra Waikar. CM Uddhav Thackeray in July 2021 gave illegal Permission for 2 lacs square feet 5 star hotel at jogeshwari on a BMC reserved Play Ground. Waikar Partner Chandu Patel involved ?160 crore Pushpak bullion demonitisation scam,” Somaiya wrote.