New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday held a one-on-one meeting, creating a buzz in political circles of Maharashtra. The meeting, which went on for 20 minutes, was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Parliament.
Notably, the meeting was held a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took custody of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Media reports suggest the central agencies’ investigations against leaders of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government – coalition of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – might have been discussed.
However, Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s nephew, dismissed such reports and said that the NCP chief might have met PM Modi to discuss “developmental works”. Ajit, who was asked by reporters about the meeting, said it would not be right for him to comment on the issue.
“But the country’s prime minister and the national president of a party can meet over developmental works. There are some important issues which need to be discussed when Parliament is in session. There may be such issues,” Ajit was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The MVA alliance, especially the Shiv Sena and the NCP, has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is using central agencies, including the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), to target opposition leaders.
On Wednesday, the CBI took custody of Anil Deshmukh from Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail in connection with a case of extortion against him. Earlier, the central agency had told a Special CBI court that Deshmukh was trying to evade CBI questioning in the Rs 400 crore money laundering case and that is why he is citing health reasons.
Similarly, on Tuesday, the ED had attached assets worth more than Rs 11.15 crore of Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife and two of his associates in a money-laundering investigation linked to certain land deals.
