The questioning of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jayant Patil by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) evoked strong reactions with party MP Supriya Sule claiming that Opposition leaders are being targeted.
Speaking about Patil's questioning, NCP leader and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule said, Of all the ED or CBI cases in the last few years, 90 to 95 per cent are against the Opposition leaders in the country. This has been widely reported by the media as well. The one who is in opposition easily gets notices from the probe agencies. Sule, however, defended officials of the probe agencies.
Those poor officials are not at fault. Previously (during the UPA regime), the probe agencies were autonomous, but now they are run by some invisible hand. Everyone who speaks against the current dispensation invites a notice, the NCP leader said. This is not new for me. This has been happening in the country for the last eight to nine years, she said.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of NCP workers staged a protest outside the Enforcement Directorate's office in south Mumbai against a summons issued by it to Patil in the money laundering case. The protesters claimed the Centre and the ED were indulging in political vendetta.