New Delhi: NCP president Sharad Pawar claimed the ED action against brother-in-law of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was "politically motivated" while Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said it smacks of autocracy.
The ED has said it has attached assets worth Rs 6.45 crore of a company owned by Shridhar Madhav Patankar, Thackeray's brother-in-law.
Alleging that the agency was taking tremendous actions in states where BJP was not in power, Raut said it "looks like ED has closed its office in states like Gujarat".
"Shridhar Madhav Patankar is our family member, his relation is not limited to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. ED has been taking tremendous actions in states where BJP is not in power," Raut was quoted by ANI on its official Twitter handle.
On Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee being summoned by ED for questioning, Sanjay Raut said, "Everything is happening in Maharashtra. Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee is also being harassed. But neither Bengal will bow, nor Maharashtra will break."
Also Read: Maharashtra: ED Seizes Properties Belonging To CM Uddhav's Brother-In-Law, MVA Slams Centre
According to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, there was a political motive behind ED's action.
"Central agencies being misused for political interests. Till a few years ago most people didn't know about ED, but today it's being misused so much that even people in villages know about it," NCP chief said.
Earlier in the day, the ED said it had issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach 11 residential flats in Neelambari project, located in Thane, of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited. Patankar "owns and controls" Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited, the ED said in a statement.
The ED alleged funds that were allegedly siphoned off in a money laundering case being investigated against a company named Pushpak Bullion were "parked" in the real estate projects of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt. Ltd.
(With ANI Inputs)