Sanjay Raut points finger at Kirit Somaiya's son in PMC Bank fraud

Shiv Sena member of Parliament Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party was using central agencies to topple the Maharashtra government by targeting the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders and their family members.

Addressing a news conference at the Sena Bhavan in Mumbai's Dadar area, Raut said the  Aghadi, comprising Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress, won't ”bow” before such pressure tactics.

Raut claimed he was contacted by some BJP leaders to shift allegiance and warned that he would have to pay a price for not doing so.

”Soon after this, Enforcement Directorate started targeting people close to me,” Raut said.

”Central agencies are being used to topple the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, but if you think we will budge, that is not possible. We have learnt this from late Balasaheb Thackeray,” he said.

They (ED) are targeting family members of the MVA leaders to defame them, Raut claimed.

There is a conspiracy afoot to topple governments in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Jharkhand, the Rajya Sabha member alleged.

Raut alleged that Neil Somaiya, son of former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, is a business partner of Rakesh Wadhwan, an accused in the PMC Bank fraud.

He said he will submit ”all the papers” in this connection to Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for appropriate action.

Responding to Raut's allegations, BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said he will respond at an appropriate time.