Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray came down heavily on the central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for raids on properties and arrests of leaders and Ministers in the Maharashtra government and dared the BJP to arrest him instead of targeting his family members and party leaders.
Speaking in the State Assembly on Friday, Thackeray said that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at least had a daring to announce the emergency, but the prenst union government has imposed undeclared emergency.
“ Arrest me and put me in jail. I am ready to take on you. Family members ( of leaders and Ministers in the Maharashtra government) are being harassed and being put under pressure. They are defamed in every possible way. This is nothing but misuse of power” said Thackeray.
Indirectly referring to BJP leader and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Thackeray said that at any cost some people want to bounce back in power.
The ED on Tuesday provisionally attached immovable properties belonging to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law Shridhar Madhav Patankar. ED has already filed cases and arrested NCP leaders Anil Deshmukh and Minister Nawab Malik.
Thackeray said that the State government and Mumbai Municipal Corporation did excellent work during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic but the State BJP leaders are targeting the government and the civic body. He said that BJP’s allegations that many Covid-19 related purchases were made without tender flouting rules were baseless.