Anandrao Adsul in ED radar over Rs 900 crore City Cooperative Bank fraud

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday carried out a search operation at places linked to senior Shiv Sena leader and former MP Anandrao Adsul in connection with a fraud vis-a-vis the City Cooperative Bank Ltd.

Adsul and his son Abhijit Adsul have been under the radar of the ED for some time now for the alleged Rs 900 crore fraud.

Adsul, who was close to late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, is a five-time MP from Amravati (SC) seat - and from August 2002-May 2004, was union minister of state for finance in the NDA government led by late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Adsul was defeated by Independent candidate Navneet Kaur Rana, the wife of Independent MLA Ravi Rana.

The Ranas have been raising the issue of alleged misappropriation involving the cooperative bank.

It may be mentioned that Adsul had challenged the election of Navneet Kaur Rana on the grounds that the caste certificate provided by her is fake. The Bombay High Court has cancelled her caste certificate, which she had challenged in the Supreme Court.

This morning, the ED officials asked Adsul to accompany them to their office. However, the 74-year-old politician complained of uneasiness and is now admitted in the Lifeline Hospital.

"Anandrao Adsul and Abhijit Adsul need to be arrested," said Ravi Rana, who is now considered close to the opposition BJP.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi constituents came to the defence of Adsul.

"This is an old case dating back to 2014. It is unnecessary victimisation,” said Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Arvind Sawant.

State revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said that it is yet another move to unnecessarily create troubles.

State minority affairs minister and NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "It is just yet another move to destabilise us…Anandrao Adsul is a former finance minister and a prominent union leader of the banking sector."

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