Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's startling letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu
By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 9, 2022, 10:41 AM ISTRaut made sensational claims, stating that he had been threatened with imprisonment if he did not aid in forcing a mid-term election in the state.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu alleging that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been harassing him and his family as he refused to aid in toppling the Maharashtra government. He claimed that the ED and other investigating agency officials have been 'reduced to puppets of their political masters' and added that the officials have admitted that they have been asked by their bosses to 'fix me'.
Raut made sensational claims, stating that he had been threatened with imprisonment if he did not aid in forcing a mid-term election in the state.
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Raut's letter read that certain people were approached and told to aid them in toppling the state government in Maharashtra about a month ago. Raut added they wanted him to be a part of an effort so the state would be forced to hold a midterm election. Raut refused to be a part of any such covert agenda and was warned that his refusal could result in dire consequences. He was even told that it might be similar to a former union railway minister who spent many years behind bars.
Raut said he was warned that two senior cabinet ministers and two leaders of Maharashtra would also be sent behind bars under the PMLA Act, leading to midterm elections in Maharashtra, with all crucial leaders in the state being prisoned.
Raut said his family owns one acre of land at Alibaug, bought about 17 years ago. The then owner who sold Raut the land is now being threatened by the ED and other agencies to give statements against him stating that they received some cash from Raut over and above the agreement value.
Suddenly everything has become a 'matter of concern' to the ED and other agencies, said Raut. In another happening, Raut's other property, bought in 2012-13; the agencies are threatening those people also, with jail and the attachment of their personal properties unless they didn't give statements against Raut.
Raut claims all his properties are in the public domain, and all have been filed in all his affidavits, along with the nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha. He asked; for all these years, the ED raised no questions, and suddenly now it's a matter of concern. The ED and other agencies have no right to 'investigate' a property/properties acquired nearly two decades ago.
So far, 28 people have been 'wrongfully confined' by the ED and threatened with dire consequences if they don't give statements against him, Raut said. He accused the ED and other central agencies of threatening and harassing BJP's political rivals by using the Prevention of Money Laundering Act retrospectively with an ulterior motive 'in the garb of investigation' for decades-old transactions 'that have nothing to do with any money laundering.' However, the Act can only be applied to transactions after 2003.
He claims that the investigation agencies are summoning, intimidating, and threatening the decorators and other vendors of his daughter's wedding last year to extract a statement that they received Rs 50 lakhs in cash.
Raut also added ever since Shiv Sena parted ways from BJP in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MPs and leaders have been systematically targeted by law enforcement agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, which has been unleashed against us. Our legislators, MPs, political leaders, and their relatives, friends, and acquaintances are being intimidated/harassed by Enforcement Directorate personnel.
Raut refused to bow down and said he was not scared and would not be frightened and continue to speak the truth. The attempts by the Enforcement Directorate and other agencies is the direct attack on his right to express himself in and out of the house freely. He said these actions appear to be an attack on democracy. He believes the recent attacks on people were motivated by his refusal to join the conspiracy to destabilise the Maharashtra state government.
Raut, in his letter, mentioned a famous poem by German pastor Martin Niemoller, who did not speak out against the Nazi Rule at the right time and wrote his confessional poem as a token of his regret.
Also Read: 'We took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra', claims Sanjay Raut
Also Read: Uddhav Thackeray says Shiv Sena wasted 25 years in alliance with BJP
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