ED raids Baramati Agro owned by Sharad Pawar's grand nephew Rohit for money laundering

Mumbai: In a development that has ruffled some feathers of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out raids at the premises of Baramati Agro Ltd owned by Rohit Pawar, the grand nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar - in connection with a money laundering probe involving the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam.

At least half a dozen premises in Baramati, Pune and Mumbai are being searched by ED sleuths.

Rohit Pawar, 38, is the CEO of Baramati Agro. He is also the NCP MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed seat in Ahmednagar district.

Rohit Pawar chose to remain with Sharad Pawar and his daughter, NCP Working President Supriya Sule, when his uncle Ajit Pawar walked out with a large chunk of MLAs to join the NDA camp and become the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.

There were no official comments either from Rohit Pawar or the Baramati Agro management team.

Rohit is out of the country.

However, he put out a message on the social media platform X.

“This is the face of the progressive thoughts of self-respecting Maharashtra... who have preserved and worked for generations for Maharashtra Dharma ... The land of Maharashtra has a long history of struggle as the great leaders also taught us to struggle against injustice. Therefore, as a Marathi person, everyone has to be prepared for the struggle to preserve and preserve the Maharashtrian ethos,” he posted on X.

The probe pertains to allegations of diversion of funds and deposit of earnest funds of a company that bid for the purchase of a Maharashtra-based ailing cooperative sugar factory.

Reacting to the development, NCP Baramati MP Supriya Sule said, “This is not the first time that central agencies have targeted my family members. We will cooperate with the police. But we can see the dictatorship running this country.”

Meanwhile, NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “So it is clear now that Rohit Pawar's 'Sangharsh Yatra' has 'hit a nerve' and made the BJP insecure. But it will not deter Rohit or stop him in his tracks. He will come out stronger. The justice system is supreme in our country and the truth will prevail.”

On the other hand, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said, “I once again request all investigative agencies to expedite investigation against Rohit Pawar and Baramati Agro.”