The questioning of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief (MNS) Raj Thackeray by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials continued for over seven hours on Thursday.

Taking a cue from yesterday’s arrest of former finance minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi, the Mumbai police had also invoked Section 144 of the IPC as a precautionary measure in the ED office vicinity with heavy deployment of riot police. The MNS chief had earlier called off a strike the Sena had announced in Mumbai.

At 11.30 am Thackeray reached the office accompanied by his wife Sharmila, son Amit, and daughter-in-law Mitali.

The ED is currently investigating alleged wrongdoings in the financial behemoth IL&FS. Thackeray is being questioned on the alleged links to a construction company Kohinoor CTNL, which had received ₹ 450 crore investmens from IL&FS.

Raj has received support from his friends and political rivals.

Shiv Sena, which is its arch-rival in Maharashtra, chose to stand beside him. Both parties vie for the same voter base. Thackeray, before the formation of MNS, was a senior leader of Shiv Sena. He is the cousin of Uddhav Thackeray, the current Shiv Sena chief.

Senior Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut said that Uddhav Thackeray has already said that nothing concrete will be found against Raj and he has the support of the entire Thackeray family.

Mumbai chief of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Nawab Mallik, claimed that the Centre, keeping in mind the forthcoming State Elections has launched the ED investigation against Raj Thackeray. He charged that the Modi government is trying to muzzle the voice of the Opposition by using the State machinery.

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