Maha: Opposition alleges vendetta, dictatorship as ED quizzes NCP leader Jayant Patil

I am afraid that the country is transitioning from democracy to a dictatorial regime, Aaditya told reporters at Nagpur airport.Speaking about Patils questioning, NCP leader and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule said, Of all the ED or CBI cases in the last few years, 90 to 95 per cent are against the Opposition leaders in the country.

The questioning of NCP leader Jayant Patil by the ED on Monday evoked strong reactions with party MP Supriya Sule claiming that Opposition leaders are being targeted while Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the country was heading towards dictatorship.

Patil, who heads the Maharashtra unit of the Nationalist Congress Party, is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate at its office here in a money laundering case linked to alleged financial irregularities in the now-bankrupt financial services firm IL&FS. He reached the ED's office at around 11.50 am.

Before heading for the ED's office in south Mumbai, Patil had said that one faces such suffering for being part of the opposition.

"Those who side with the truth, which is sometimes against the government, are being pressurised with the help of central probe agencies, and this pattern can be seen across the country. I am afraid that the country is transitioning from democracy to a dictatorial regime,'' Aaditya told reporters at Nagpur airport.

Speaking about Patil's questioning, NCP leader and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule said, "Of all the ED or CBI cases in the last few years, 90 to 95 per cent are against the Opposition leaders in the country. This has been widely reported by the media as well. The one who is in opposition easily gets notices from the probe agencies." Sule, however, defended officials of the probe agencies.

"Those poor officials are not at fault. Previously (during the UPA regime), the probe agencies were autonomous, but now they are run by some invisible hand. Everyone who speaks against the current dispensation invites a notice," the NCP leader said.

"This is not new for me. This has been happening in the country for the last eight to nine years," she said.

Aaditya also criticized the Shinde-Fadnavis government over its handling of environmental issues in Maharashtra.

He spoke about the expansion of the Koradi power generation project and also raised concerns over the ''deteriorating'' condition of Nandgaon and Waregaon villages in Nagpur district due to the ash bund of power generation projects.

''During my tenure as the Environment minister, substantial progress was made in clearing the ash pond, but now it is being re-filled, adversely affecting the standard of living in the area,'' he claimed.

He was accompanied by the party colleague and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Ambadas Danve.

Aaditya alleged six power units were shut down in other parts of the state, which would lead to job loss.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of NCP workers staged a protest outside the ED office in south Mumbai against a summons issued by it to Patil.

The protesters claimed the Centre and the ED were indulging in ''political vendetta''.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)