Sharad Pawar drops ED office visit plan, says won’t get scared off

The Nationalist Congress (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, named in a money-laundering case by the ED in connection with a scam at Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, on Friday said he won’t visit the agency’s office “for now”, much to the relief of police and common citizens.

Pawar’s decision came after Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve met him at his residence and requested him not to visit the ED office as it may create a law and order situation.

The former Union Minister had announced he would go to the ED office at 2 pm, even though the agency has not summoned him yet. He had also appealed to party workers not to gather outside the ED office. Ahead of Pawar’s proposed visit, the police had imposed prohibitory orders outside the ED office in South Mumbai and stepped up security.

“I have cancelled to go there (ED office) as of now. I am ready to go there when required. We work in politics. But if someone tries to scare off us through agency, they will not succeed,” he told reporters at his residence. Pawar thanked political leaders who supported him. “(Congress leaders) Rahul Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and other senior national leaders and the Shiv Sena, too, supported me, I thank them,” he said.

Gandhi had slammed the Modi government for “targeting” Pawar ahead of the Maharashtra polls.

“Sharad Pawar Ji is the latest Opposition leader to be targeted by a vindictive Government. The timing of this action, a month before elections in Maharashtra, reeks of political opportunism,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

The Maratha strongman questioned the timing of the ED case, which came just weeks ahead of the October 21 Assembly polls.