Sharad Pawar Offers to 'Present' Himself on September 27; No Questioning For Now, Says ED

Mumbai, September 25: After Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar said that he will suo moto 'present' himself at the Enforcement Directorate office on September 27, the agency turned down his offer. According to a report, the ED is of the view that Sharad Pawar has not been summoned, hence, he will be sent back if he appears on Friday. The ED will first record the statement of promoters and directors of co-operative sugar factories and then proceed to probe Pawar.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Pawar, who has been named as accused in a money laundering case, said that he would go to the ED office in south Mumbai at 2 pm on Friday afternoon. "I believe in the country's Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar... I was never a director in any of the banks. But I will fully cooperate with the ED and provide them with whatever information they require," the NCP chief said.

The ED has lodged cases against Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar and other politicians and officials for their involvement in the alleged scam of Rs 25,000 crore in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB). The agency's move came less than a month before the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Polling will be held on October 21 and results will be declared on October 24. Pawar also questioned the ED's timing.

"The timing is very important as it comes right before the nominations are to be filed... I believe in the country's Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar," Pawar said. Hinting at putting up a spirited fight, he said that Maharashtra has a long tradition of following the ideals of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, so "we shall never surrender before the Delhi Takht (throne)".

In a veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Pawar added that the people of the state have responded tremendously to the NCP in the election campaign and the ED action was a conspiracy hatched against them. "However, the people of the state are watching and understanding everything that is going on before the elections," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 25, 2019 09:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).