Sharad Pawar volunteered to appear before the ED on Thursday. (File)
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who volunteered to appear today before the Enforcement Directorate in a Rs 25,000 crore scam involving sanction of loans, was told by the probe agency- don't come, we'll call you if needed.
In a letter, the Enforcement Directorate told Mr Pawar that "there is no need for him to come to their office". It also said if there was any requirement in future, "we will inform you".
Mr Pawar was not summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case in connection with a scam at the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, but the senior opposition leader on Thursday said he would appear before the agency before he gets busy with the state elections, less than a month away.
Large gatherings were banned in Ballard Estate in south Mumbai in anticipation of his visit to Enforcement Directorate office.
Here are the highlights on Sharad Pawar's visit to Enforcement Directorate office:
NCP workers Had Gathered Outside The ED office
NCP chief Sharad Pawar thanked all his party workers who gathered outside the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai and raised slogans marking their support.
Sharad Pawar, who volunteered to appear before the probe agency today in a multi-crore scam, said this afternoon he has dropped the plan to go to the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai.
The action by Enforcement Directorate is an attempt to malign my image, Sharad Pawar told reporters this afternoon.
Speaking to the reporters this afternoon, after the Enforcement Directorate told him to not appear before the agency, Sharad Pawar said: "It was my responsibility as a citizen to appear before the Enforcement Directorate."
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar - a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra - and others in connection with the scam.
Hope Truth Will Come Out: Anna HazareExpressing surprise over NCP president Sharad Pawar's naming cropping up in the multi-crore Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank scam, social activist Anna Hazare said: "When this case came to me, Sharad Pawar's name was not there anywhere. How did his name crop up, who mentioned his name, all these things only they know."
The anti-corruption crusader, a Pawar critic, expressed the hope the truth will come out after the ED carries out a detailed investigation in the scam.
"Pawar Ji Is A Tall Leader," Says Shiv Sena's Sanjay RautShiv Sena's Sanjay Raut reacted to the controversy today. "Government should've seen what is happening. ED should have had a discussion with govt on this. Pawar ji is a tall leader, his followers are present throughout the state, this will certainly have some reaction," he told news agency ANI.
NCP Workers Protest After Probe Agency's Action
NCP workers protest two days after Sharad Pawar was named by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering scam. He volunteered to appear before the probe agency today.
A day after he was named in the FIR, Sharad Pawar told the media he would be "pleased" to go to jail as he had never experienced it. Denying any role in the alleged scam, the 78-year-old had said: "I would have been surprised had such action not been taken against me after the kind of response I receive during my visits to various districts of the state."
Security had been tightened for the visit amid NCP protests and large gatherings had been banned around the Enforcement Directorate's office in South Mumbai.
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