Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai was on Tuesday questioned for eight hours by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing conducting a preliminary inquiry into the alleged withdrawal of Rupees 50 crore from the party fund by the Uddhav Thackeray faction, officials said.
Alleged Misuse of Party Funds By Shiv Sena, Probe Underway
The EOW launched PE on a complaint by a functionary of Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claiming that the Thackeray-led Sena allegedly withdrew Rupees 50 crore from the party fund even after the Election Commission declared the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena.
Desai appeared before the EOW on behalf of his party. After coming out of the office at around 6 pm, Desai said the available information was shared with police officials. “Whatever information sought by EOW, I believe I have provided it to them,” Desai said. He said every political party has the position of office-bearers.
“We are working as per the directions of the party leader and as per the constitution of the party,” said Desai. “We act on behalf of the party. We work as per the decisions of the party. Whatever information we have, we have shared it with them [EOW],” he added. “The EOW hasn’t called me again; we’ve already provided the necessary clarification they sought.”
Upcoming LS Polls Reason For Misleading Message Among Public
Desai expressed concern that, given the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, there's a misleading message circulating among the public. He emphasized that there is no intent to accuse opposition parties of any wrongdoing.
