NCP’s Rohit Pawar faces ED questioning in MSCB case; protests erupt

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Rohit Pawar, grandnephew of party founder Sharad Pawar, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai today for questioning in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) case. The case involves the alleged fraudulent disbursal of loans amounting to Rs 25,000 crore, leading to a PIL petition in the Bombay High Court.
Before entering the ED office, Rohit Pawar, accompanied by NCP MP Supriya Sule, expressed his cooperation with the investigation, stating that he was carrying all the requested files and documents. Addressing reporters, he asserted his readiness to answer all questions and support the ED officials in their work. Pawar, challenging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), emphasized that he is not intimidated and called any attempt to pressure him an experiment on the wrong person.
“If all this is done to put pressure on me, they have done this experiment on the wrong person. I am Marathi, I am not scared of anyone,” said Rohit Pawar.
Addressing the possibility of arrest, Pawar maintained his innocence, expressing confidence in the judiciary. “I don’t think they are going to arrest me because I have done nothing wrong. There is no question of arrest,” he affirmed.
Earlier in the day, Pawar sought blessings from Sharad Pawar at the NCP office in Mumbai. Meanwhile, a protest led by Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP took place outside the ED office, with heightened security in the vicinity.
The MSCB case originated from a PIL petition revealing an alleged modus operandi involving fraudulent loans and defaulting sugar mills. The Bombay High Court ordered the case’s registration, leading to an investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). When the EOW filed a closure report in 2020, the ED intervened, filing an intervention petition and initiating its own investigation.
Supriya Sule, accompanying Rohit Pawar to the ED office, expressed faith in the investigation. “Satyamev Jayate. The truth will triumph…Investigations must be transparent and fair. I have full faith in ED,” she stated, emphasizing that they would cooperate fully with the agencies.
Sule also pointed out government data indicating a high percentage of cases against opposition party leaders in central investigation agencies. “Data always speaks for itself. 95% of cases of Income Tax, CBI, and ED are on people who are in the Opposition parties,” she noted.
As the investigation unfolds, political tension and public interest are likely to intensify, with stakeholders closely watching developments in the MSCB case.