Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and party MP from Sangli Sanjaykaka Patil on Sunday claimed that he wouldn't be chased by the ED or face any probe as he is from the saffron party.
The remark comes days after BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil, who had left Congress and migrated to the saffron party ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, echoing the same views.
"I will not be followed by ED. I am a BJP MP. Therefore, ED will not come here," said Patil.
His statement created ripples in the party, which is already under attack from the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners for the misuse of central probe agencies against political opponents by the BJP led government in the Centre.
Patil went on to add that there is a general impression among the people that the politicians are flushed with money, but they raise debt to meet their expenses. "I will take a loan to buy a car worth Rs 40 lakh. So, it does not matter if my statement is recorded in the camera. If ED looks at our debt, the central probe agency will be surprised," he said.
Patil, a former legislator from Indapur in Pune district, said he gets "sound sleep" after joining BJP. "We too had to go to BJP. He (referring to someone from the opposition next to him on stage) asked why I joined the BJP. I told him to ask his leader why I went to BJP. Everything is easy-going and peaceful (in BJP)," he said.
A few days back, NCP chief Sharad Pawar referred to Patil's admission and slammed BJP for misusing ED, CBI, Income Tax and Narcotics Control Bureau against the political opponents.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray joined the bandwagon and said, "We are not scared of ED and CBI. We are not the ones to hide behind police after making threats."
