Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Thursday interrogated Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray in a money laundering case. Former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi’s son Unmesh Joshi was also summoned by the ED in this case.
The MNS leader reached the ED office around 11.30 am, accompanied by wife Sharmila, son Amit and daughter in law Mitali. After Raj Thackeray entered the office alone, his family members camped at a nearby hotel.
As per reports, the ED has summoned Raj Thackeray in a case pertaining to alleged irregularities related to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) loan to Kohinoor CTNL. Mumbai police imposed Section 144 of CrPC outside the ED office and in some parts of Dadar, where the MNS chief resides and parts of central Mumbai.
Raj Thackeray has been summoned by the ED in connection with its probe into the alleged irregularities relating to loans and equity investment worth over Rs 450 crore by IL&FS in Kohinoor CTNL Infrastructure Company. The firm was founded by former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi’s son Unmesh, Raj Thackeray and Raj’s close aide and builder Rajan Shirodkar to purchase and develop the land of the defunct Kohinoor Mill. Raj reportedly sold off his stake in 2008. Unmesh has been questioned by the ED for three days since August 19.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the NCP, have rallied behind Raj, terming the ED notice a vendetta politics by the ruling BJP. Raj Thackeray had held several rallies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-led government in Maharashtra. He, however, had spared Sena from any direct criticism. He recently also met Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to muster support for his demand that Electronic Voting Machines should not be used for polling.
