JOIN USTMC dubs Saket Gokhale's arrest 'witch hunt' by BJP
The TMC on Wednesday condemned the arrest of its spokesperson Saket Gokhale in a money laundering case, stating that the he was a target of BJP's "political witch-hunt".
The party also said that central agencies were being misused by opposition parties.
"It is nothing but a witch hunt by the BJP-led government. The Centre is misusing probe agencies to target opposition leaders. The arrest reflects favouritism and selective approach on the part of central agencies, as they are seen turning a blind eye to the crimes of BJP leaders who are running scot-free," TMC Rajya Sabha party leader Derek O'Brien said. The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a crowdfunding initiative in Gujarat, official sources said.
Gokhale was taken into custody under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Ahmedabad where he is lodged in judicial custody in a Gujarat Police case.
He was produced before an Ahmedabad court which sent him to the ED custody till January 31, officials said.
The state police had arrested Gokhale from Delhi in December last year in a case of alleged misuse of money he had collected through crowdfunding. The Gujarat High Court had on Monday refused regular bail to Gokhale in this case as it asked him to approach the court only after a charge sheet was filed.
The TMC leader had approached the high court after a sessions court and a magistrate's court in Ahmedabad denied him bail recently following his arrest and expiry of remand. Gokhale has been in judicial custody since January 5 and lodged at a jail in Ahmedabad. He was arrested by the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch from Delhi on December 30, 2022, in this case.