Himanta Biswa Sarma, Ashok Chavan and Ajit Pawar.
Credit: PTI Photos
A recent investigation by The Indian Express revealed that 25 well-known politicians, who were under investigation for corruption and were being closely scrutinized by central agencies, have shifted allegiance to the BJP from different parties since 2014. In 23 of these instances, legal proceedings against them were either halted or significantly slowed down after they joined the saffron party.
The report highlights a stark difference in how politicians in the opposition are treated compared to those aligned with the BJP.
Since 2014, a total of 25 prominent politicians from diverse political backgrounds have joined the BJP following action by central agencies. These individuals include former members of parties such as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Samajwadi Party (SP), and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
It's worth noting that proceedings against 23 of these politicians have been halted or delayed following their switch to the saffron party.
“This is in sharp contrast to what happens when the accused is in the Opposition — an investigation by The Indian Express in 2022 revealed how 95 per cent of prominent politicians that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took action against after 2014, when the NDA came to power, were from the Opposition,” the IE report said.
This trend, termed the "washing machine" by the Opposition, suggests that joining the BJP shields individuals from legal repercussions related to corruption charges. Although not entirely new, the report highlights the unprecedented scale and frequency of such incidents.
The report points out that Maharashtra has been a focal point for such occurrences, particularly during the political turbulence in 2022 and 2023.
Out of the 25 cases, three have been closed, 14 are still open but no action has been taken, six are still under scanner but have been shifted, and the remaining two are yet to see any government action.
Here's the case wise list of those 25 politicians according to the IE report
Closed cases
Cases of Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel and Pratap Sarnaik were closed after they joined the ruling coalition. For instance, Ajit Pawar's case, handled by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing, was closed in October 2020 during his tenure in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. However, upon his transition to the NDA, the case was reopened, only to be closed again in March, rendering the ED's case ineffective, the report noted.
Open cases with no action being taken
Cases involving politicians Suvendu Adhikari, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hasan Mushrif, Bhavana Gawali, Yamini Jadhav, Yashwant Jadhav, C M Ramesh, Raninder Singh, Sanjay Seth, K Geetha, Sovan Chatterjee, Chhagan Bhujbal, Kripashankar Singh, and Digambar Kamathave either stalled or shown minimal progress after their party switch. For example, the CBI has awaited permission since 2019 to prosecute West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who was an MP during the Narada sting operation in 2020 when he switched from TMC to BJP.
Additionally, cases involving Himanta Biswa Sarma have made no significant headway. Sarma faced CBI inquiries in 2014 regarding the Saradha chit fund scam, but since joining the BJP in 2015, there has been no progress.
Cases that are still under scanner and have been shifted
Cases of Ashok Chavan, Naveen Jindal, Tapas Roy, Archana Patil, Geeta Koda and Baba Siddique are still under scanner but have been shifted to different agencies.
For example, Chavan's case has not seen significant change, he joined the BJP in 2024 despite a Supreme Court stay on proceedings by the CBI and ED in the Adarsh Housing case.
Cases that have seen no action so far
Cases of Jyoti Mirdha and Y S Sujana Chowdary are yet to see any government action, while probe is still on in Mirdha's case, Chowdary is committed to trial.