Chhagan Bhujbal denies he joined BJP alliance because of ED cases against him

Nashik, Nov 8 (PTI) Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday denied that he joined the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state to avoid investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, and also said he had never made any such admission.
The case against him had been closed when he was part of the previous government and he and his colleagues sided with the BJP to ensure speedy development in their constituencies, he said.
Bhujbal was responding to a claim in a book by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai that he admitted that the ED case was a factor in his decision to part ways with the Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar and support Ajit Pawar who split the party in July 2023.
"I have not read the book. I think it is a deliberate attempt to divert attention. We are in the middle of assembly elections. After the elections, I will consult my lawyers and take action if anything wrong has been attributed to me," he told reporters here.
"My case was closed when I was in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. I deny what is being attributed to me in the media,' Bhujbal added.
Bhujbal was arrested in an alleged money laundering case related to the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi. He was granted bail in 2018.
Earlier in the day, MP Supriya Sule of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) cited excerpts from the book as published by a newspaper, and said they validate her allegations.
"I have spoken in Parliament on numerous occasions about the misuse of central agencies. Rival parties are being broken up by an invisible power in an unconstitutional way," she told reporters in Pune.
As many as 95 per cent of the cases registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (I-T) were against opposition leaders, she said, adding, "BJP forms governments by putting them in a washing machine'."
Even women members of the family were not spared, Sule said. "Not one day, two days but for five days, the I-T conducted raids on Rajni Indulkar, Nita Patil and Vijaya Patil at the behest of the invisible power," she claimed.

"I have seen what the families of Bhujbal, Anil Deshmukh, Nawab Malik and Sanjay Raut had to go through. Devendra Fadnavis and the invisible power should give answer to this," she said.
Reacting to the controversy, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that he too had been warned that if he did not quit the Sena and join the BJP, he would face action by central agencies. His party colleague Anil Parab, NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh and other key leaders of opposition parties too faced this pressure, he claimed.
"I had written a letter to then Vice President Venkaiah Naidu which is on record," said the Rajya Sabha member.
The ED's pressure was the main reason for the split in the Shiv Sena and NCP, Raut claimed.
In his book "2024 - The Election That Surprised India", Sardesai has reportedly cited his conversation with Bhujbal around May 2023. Bhujbal, who had spent two-and-a-half years in jail, appeared worried about a fresh ED notice served to him and said he had no option but to join hands with the BJP, the book, as per the excerpts, claims.
In July 2023, Ajit Pawar and MLAs loyal to him broke away from the NCP and joined hands with the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to become part of the Mahayuti government.
NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said it was appalling to see senior leaders confessing to have joined the ruling party to evade investigation.
"Such admissions only reinforce the belief that the BJP operates as a 'washing machine' where corrupt leaders enter and emerge spotless," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)