Maharashtra ACB Raids Thackeray Faction MLA

Mumbai: A day after the ED arrested Aaditya Thackeray’s close aide, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) received yet another jolt after the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday conducted raids at several properties of party MLA Rajan Salvi in Ratnagiri district and filed a case against him and his two family members for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets.

The ACB teams raided five properties that included home, office and business premises belonging to Salvi in Ratnagiri district.

According to the ACB official, Salvi, his wife and son amassed assets to the tune of Rs 3.53 crore, which are purportedly at least 118 percent in excess of MLA’s known sources of income. An offence under sections 13 (1) (B) and 13 (2) under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Salvi, his wife and son, he said.

Salvi has slammed the ACB action saying he was being deliberately targeted for not switching loyalties to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He said that he was fed up with these repeated summons and interrogation by the police agency and henceforth he would not attend any ACB summonses or go to their offices for questioning.

Salvi and his family members are being investigated for the last one and half years in the disproportionate assets case. On January 13, he had attended the questioning at the Raigad ACB office with his family.

“The moment I decided to stand with Shiv Sena (UBT), I knew that I will face difficulties in future. You can book me in any case, arrest and jail me, but you cannot target my family members in this manner. We are being pressured, but whatever happens, even if they throw me in jail, I will not succumb. The people of the state will teach you a lesson,” the MLA said.

He said that party President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray called him up and expressed his full support in the crisis. The ACB action came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Suraj Chavan, a close aide of SS-UBT leader and MLA Aditya Thackeray in Mumbai.