ED grills Sharad Pawar's MLA grandnephew for 8 hrs in coop bank case

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar group) MLA Rohit Pawar, grand nephew of outfit's founder Sharad Pawar, was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for eight hours on Thursday in a money laundering case related to an alleged scam at the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, his second grilling in 10 days.

Emerging out of the ED grilling in Mumbai, Rohit Pawar denied any wrongdoing and asserted struggle was imminent in fight for ideology while declaring he wasn't scared.

This was the second time that Rohit Pawar, affiliated to the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP -- which is in the opposition in Maharashtra -- appeared before the ED in the last 10 days in connection with the money laundering case.

The 38-year-old MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district was earlier questioned by the central agency on January 24.

On Thursday, he reached the ED's office situated at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai at 1.05 pm, and left after 9 pm.

His family members accompanied him to the agency's office earlier in the day. As he emerged from the building, NCP (Sharad Pawar group) workers greeted him by shouting slogans. In a show of solidarity, Sharad Pawar's wife Pratibha Pawar was present at the NCP office located nearby when the legislator appeared before the ED.

Addressing supporters post-questioning, Rohit Pawar said was called by the agency to submit some documents and had been told he would be questioned again, if needed.

"I was in business first before entering politics. I haven't don't anything wrong. Those in government should know I am not scared. Those who got scared ran away," Rohit Pawar said in a veiled dig at his uncle, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who broke ranks and joined the Eknath Shinde government in July 2023.

The legislator said he has sought information about a closure report filed before a city court by the Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing related to an alleged Rs 25,000-crore scam at MSCB, the state's apex cooperative lender whose main function is to refinance district central cooperative banks (DCCBs). The alleged scam was probed separately by the EOW.

"The EOW has filed a closure report in the case for which I am being interrogated," he said.

The lawmaker said "real Marathi people" aren't scared of struggles and maintained lakhs of youths walked along with him during his 800km state-wide 'Yuva Sangharsh Yatra' undertaken last year to highlight issues like inflation and unemployment.

Without naming anyone, Rohit Pawar remarked that said some people are only after power and posts, but he was fighting for ideology.

Sharad Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, and his daughter Supriya Sule, a Lok Sabha member, are currently in New Delhi for the ongoing budget session of Parliament.

Hundreds of party workers, who had come from across the state, gathered at the NCP office in south Mumbai as well as near the ED's establishment and staged an agitation against the agency's summons to Rohit Pawar.

NCP (Sharad Pawar group) workers staged a separate protest in Pimpri-Chinchwad township in Pune district against the ED action.

Party's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit president Tushar Kamthe said more than 1,000 workers took part in the stir.

Kamthe alleged the central agency was working at the government's behest.

"The ED is taking action against a person who is currently fighting for the rights of youths, women and labourers. Rohit Pawar is facing the ED action because he raised issues related to youths during the Sangharsh Yatra," he averred.

A large number of police personnel was deployed near the ED office in the financial capital and barricades were placed on roads leading to it.

The MSCB money laundering case stems from an August 2019 FIR filed by the EOW.

The ED conducted searches on January 5 at the premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by Rohit Pawar, and some linked entities in Baramati town, Pune city, Aurangabad and some other locations in the state.

The case was registered after the Bombay high court issued an order to investigate allegations that many financially distressed cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra were sold to private entities at throwaway prices.

MSCB-refinanced district and cooperative banks disburse loans to sugar cooperatives, spinning mills and other entities.