ED should probe into MNS’ claim of Sena horse-trading, says BJP

A day after the MNS President hurled allegations of “horse-trading” of his party corporators against his cousin and Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP on Monday demanded an Enforcement Directorate probe into the matter.

On Sunday, Raj Thackeray accused rival Shiv Sena of "buying out" six out of seven Maharashtra Navnirman Sena corporators in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation for alleged payouts of Rs 5 crore each some three days ago.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Mumbai Kirit Somaiya on Monday wrote to ED Joint Director Satyavrat Kumar seeking action for "corruption, money-laundering, anti-democratic activities and other malpractices" indulged in by Shiv Sena which engineered the defection of the six MNS corporators to its fold.

“Request to investigate. All actions of/by these six MNS corporators be observed/put on hold till the investigation completed,” Somaiya urged the ED.

Quoting Raj Thackeray, he said it was “money laundering” by Shiv Sena and the six MNS corporators were paid Rs 5 crore each.

Somaiya also referred to a “hawala transaction” between Chandrakant Patel of Pushpak Bullion and the Shiv Sena and MNS corporators in the matter.

He pointed out that Patel was arrested for moneylaundering not long ago by the ED which had reportedly detected similar transactions between him (Patel), the Shiv Sena and its leaders.

In a major political development, on October 13, the

six MNS corporators suddenly walked over to the Shiv Sena after which a stunned BJP cried foul, accusing its ally of "horsetrading" and lodging complaints with Maharashtra State Election Commissioner, Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Konkan Development Commissioner. The MNS chief, whose party is now reduced to a single BMC corporator, attacked his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday, charging him with playing "low-level" (neech) politics and allegedly buying the corporators.