Maharashtra Minister Anil Parab
The Enforcement Directorate on Sunday issued a notice to the Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab in connection with a money laundering case that was registered against the former State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Anil Parab has been asked to appear in front of the agency’s South Mumbai office before Tuesday.
The notice from the central agency comes days after a video went viral in which Parab was seen asking Ratnagiri Police to arrest the Union Minister Narayan Rane without even waiting for an arrest warrant. Earlier Rane was arrested by the police which led to a huge outrage in the state. Narayan had accused Parab of being behind his arrest. MLA from the BJP, Ashish Shelar also accused Anil Parab of the brief arrest of the Union Minister and further demanded a CBI probe into the entire procedure of the arrest. However, Rane was granted bail by the court of the first class judicial magistrate in Mahad.
The summons pertains to the investigation that is being carried out by the Enforcement Directorate in the alleged 100 crore bribery cum extortion racket in the state police department that eventually led to the resignation of State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. According to the reports, Deshmukh so far has not been cooperating with the central agency and has till now skipped summons at least five times. ED might question Anil Parab about the statements by the jailed officer and another accused in the case, Sachin Waze.
Reacting to the notice issued by ED, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut tweeted: “Well done. The moment Jan Ashirwad Yatra concluded, Anil Parab was summoned by ED as expected. The central government has started its work. The epicenter of the earthquake was Ratnagiri. Parab is the district guardian minister. Understand the chronology. Will fight legal battles legally. Jai Maharashtra.”
It is now to be seen what more new things will come out from the investigation but it is for sure that war of words between BJP and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is going to escalate further in the near future.