Of these 23 leaders have got reprieve in the cases from the investigation agencies, a report by the Indian Express said on April 3.
These leaders include 10 from the Congress, four each from NCP and Shiv Sena, three from Trinamool Congress, two from TDP, and one each from Samajwadi Party and YSRCP. As many as three cases against these opposition leaders have been closed while 20 are either stalled or in cold storage, the Indian Express report said.
Also Read: PM Modi denies opposition’s accusations of probe agency misuse: ‘We neither obstruct nor direct ED’
Six of the politicians on this list moved to the BJP in 2024 only, in the run of to the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
A 2022 report by the Indian Express had said that at least 95 per cent of prominent politicians against whom Central investigation agencies including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took action after 2014 were from the Opposition.
The April 3 report comes amid Opposition charges of ‘misuse’ of investigation agencies against the PM Modi led government. The opposition has for this reason called the BJP a ‘washing machine’, referring to the increasing phenomenon of opposition politicians accused of corruption not facing any probes after switching over to the BJP. The charge has been rejected by the government.
This also comes at a time when Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the two opposition leaders, are in jail in different corruption cases being probed by the ED.
Follow all Arvind Kejriwal news LIVE updates Here
On March 31, key opposition leaders of the INDIA bloc came together during ‘Loktantra Bachao’ Maharally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan in solidarity with Arvind Kejriwal and protest the larger concern of ‘misuse’ of central agencies by PM Modi led Union government.
The Election Commission is also reportedly mulling an advisory on INDIA bloc’s ‘misuse of central agencies’ concerns ahead of polls
Last week, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Sunday he believes that premier investigative agencies are “spread out too thin”. He said these agencies must only focus on those that concern national security and crimes of economic offences against the nation.
The Indian Express report said that the cases faced by two top leaders of the NCP faction, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, were subsequently closed. It said that at least 12 prominent politicians from Maharashtra are on the list of 25.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who parted ways from NCP, founder by his uncle Sharad Pawar, and joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv-Sena-BJP government last year. NCP leader Praful Patel also joined the NDA in 2023.
In Pawar’s case, the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a closure report in October 2020 when he was part of the previous MVA government, The case was, however, reopened when the BJP returned to power with Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. The case was finally closed March 2024 after he joined the NDA. The ED’s case against Pawar, based on the EOW action, has since been rendered infructuous, according to the Indian Express report.
Also Read: INDIA bloc’s ‘Loktantra Bachao’ Maharally and Arvind Kejriwal’s tryst with Ramlila Maidan
Among other cases which have seen no progress include that of West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who switched to BJP from TMC in 2020. Similarly the cases of Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan have also seen no progress.
In 2009 during the UPA years , a report in Indian Express said that the CBI had changed course in the corruption cases against BSP’s Mayawati and SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav when the two leaders were being courted by the ruling UPA.
Some of the prominent names in the list are:
Ajit Pawar: Joined BJP-led NDA from NCP in 2023
Praful Patel: Joined BJP-led NDA from NCP in 2023
Himanta Biswa Sarma: Joined the BJP from Congress in 2015
Sanjay Seth: Joined BJP from SP in 2019
Suvendu Adhikari: Joined BJP from TMC in 2020
Chhagan Bhujbal: Joined BJP-led NDA from NCP in 2023
Ashok Chavan: Joined BJP from Congress in 2024
Naveen Jindal: Joined BJP from Congress in 2024
Geeta Koda: Joined BJP from Congress in 2024
Baba Siddiqui: Joined BJP-led NDA from Congress in 2024
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
Published: 03 Apr 2024, 09:48 AM IST
