'Maharashtra should be given powers to enforce PMLA': Central agencies misused to target Opposition leaders, parties, say Uddhav and Sharad Pawar

Mumbai: Slamming the Narendra Modi-headed BJP-led NDA dispensation at the Centre for misusing central agencies like CBI, IT and ED to target Opposition leaders and parties, Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray said that Maharashtra should also be given powers to enforce the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar lamented that the ED is being misused and hence there should be a discussion on it once the government changes at the Centre.

Thackeray and Pawar, both former Maharashtra chief minister, made the observations at the release of "Narkatla Swarg”, the memoirs of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, which dwells on his experiences as a journalist-politician and his arrest by the ED in a PMLA case.

The function was presided over by writer, poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale and several leaders from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi were present at the meeting.

“PMLA being misused against Opposition, needs to be amended whenever the government at Centre changes,” said Pawar, a former leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and former union minister, who has handled the portfolios of Defence and Agriculture.

“We are a federal structure…there is ED, CBI and IT at the hands of the Centre…the ED has the powers to enforce PMLA…the states should also have the powers to enforce the PMLA,” said Thackeray.

The book is published by New Era Publishing House.

Raut, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by ED on 1 August 2022 in the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land development case - and come out of jail exactly after 100 days with the special PMLA court terming his arrest - “illegal”, “witch hunt” and “pick and choose strategy”.

The book among other things also deals with how late Balasaheb Thackeray had helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during their hour of crisis and how the BJP split the Shiv Sena.