Rohit Pawar to appear before Enforcement Directorate

The NCP leader, who is the CEO of Baramati Agro Ltd in Pune, is under investigation in an alleged case of money-laundering.

Mumbai: On a day Rohit Pawar appears before the Enforcement Directorate, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seem to be preparing for a massive show of strength in Mumbai ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Rohit Pawar, who is the CEO of Baramati Agro Ltd in Pune and is under investigation in an alleged case of money-laundering.

The ED has asked Rohit Pawar to appear before the ED office at Ballard Pier in Mumbai on January 24.

Rohit Pawar, the MLA from Karjat Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district, is the grand nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and nephew of NCP working president Supriya Sule, who is the MP from Baramati.

In August 2019, an FIR was lodged by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing into alleged money laundering involving the Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank Ltd. The ED probe pertains to allegations of "diversion" of funds and deposit of earnest funds of a company that bid for the purchase of a Maharashtra-based ailing cooperative sugar factory.

When Rohit Pawar walks into the ED office at Ballard Pier, Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule are expected to be at the NCP state headquarters which is located nearby.

“The time has brought challenges and is a time of struggle. At such a time, we all will fight with patience, self-respect, unity and overcome the difficulties. Fight and win!,” Supriya Sule wrote on social media.

On his part, Rohit Pawar said: “I will cooperate fully with the authorities as I cooperated earlier. But looking at the current politics of revenge, as there is a lot of pressure from the government on all the agencies, under this pressure, if ED takes any wrong action against me, no one should be afraid, instead, everyone should stand united with the Pawar saheb.”

It may be mentioned that, Rohit Pawar chose to remain with Pawar and Supriya Sule when his uncle Ajit Pawar walked out with a large chunk of MLAs to join the NDA camp and become the Deputy Chief Minister.