Mumbai: In an attempt to embarrass the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and the BJP-led government at the Centre, NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Thursday questioned the lack of Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against Walmik Karad, a close aide of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde. Karad has been arrested in an alleged extortion case. Sule said that despite PMLA notice issued against him, no action was taken. Had the ED action been taken, the murder of Beed sarpanch would not have occurred, she said.
“Karad had already been an accused in a money laundering case, for which the ED had already issued a notice under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the month of May. So why did ED not take action against him?” asked Sule in Pune.
Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9, apparently because he tried to thwart an attempt to extort money from an energy firm operating a windmill project. Karad, an associate of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Dhananjay Munde, has been arrested in an earlier extortion case related to the same company. The opposition has alleged that Karad was the mastermind behind Deshmukh’s murder.
“Had the State Government not notified the Centre about Karad’s offence? Despite Karad being involved in murder and money laundering cases, the ED did not act against him? Had the ED acted in time, the tragic sarpanch murder could have been prevented,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
The NCP(SP) leader alleged that there was one law for leaders like Anil Deshmukh, Sanjay Raut, and Nawab Malik and a completely different set of laws for Walmik Karad? “I will discuss the matter with Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” she said.
Meanwhile, NCP chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, when asked about demand for Dhananjay Munde’s resignation, said strict action will be taken against the culprits without looking at their political background. “Various probe agencies are investigating this murder case. The Chief Minister has already said that if anyone is found guilty in this case, immediate action will be taken against him. I have also asked Devendra Fadnavis to act against offenders. The murder is a dastardly act and we will not tolerate such incidents,” he said.
