MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut today said that the summons sent by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to his wife Varsha Raut in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank fraud case was nothing but witch hunt on behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

He said that the ED’s move showed BJP’s frustrations against him since he was instrumental in the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by CM Uddhav in the state, comprising three parties, Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress.

While addressing a live conference at the Sena office, Raut made some sensational claims that for the past one year, some senior BJP leaders were indirectly pressurising him to help topple the Aghadi government, and since they were not successful they were now targeting him on a personal level.

Raut said, “Some senior leaders from the other side have been meeting me continuously trying to convince me not to continue support to the MVA as they have made all preparations to bring it down. They even showed me a list of 22 NCP and Sena MLAs to prove their point, but I can tell you what it said to them, that they will never succeed." 

"In past one year, several of our key leaders from the coalition parties who are crucial for government formation in Maharashtra including Sharad Pawar, Eknath Khadse & Pratap Sarnaik have got notices & now you all are discussing my name, but I am not afraid," Raut said further adding that, "The ED has now tuned into BJP headquarters which was hatching conspiracy to topple Maharashtra’s Aghadi government in Maharashtra by hounding its leaders.”

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena works put a banner outside ED office in Mumbai which said 'BJP Regional Office' which was latter removed by the local police. 

The ED had first summoned Raut’s wife Varsha to appear before the agency in the last week of November, however, she did not comply with the summons citing health issues following which a second order was issued for her appearance on December 11 which was again not complied with and yesterday the agency asked her to be present on December 29.

As he was cheered on by party workers, in the typical aggressive Shiv Sena style Raut warned BJP, "I am late Balasaheb Thakeray's Shiv Sainik, don't take 'panga' with me. I will expose you all. I have a list of 120 BJP leaders (scams) which the ED can investigate for five years. They will have to take flight like Nirav Modi or Vijay Mallya to foreign countries."