Three days after the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached the immovable properties belonging to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's brother-in-law Shridhar Madhav Patankar, Thackeray on Friday, 25 March, slammed the BJP for allegedly influencing the ED to carry out the raid.
Speaking in the Assembly, Thackeray said, "If you want to come to power, then come to power. But don't do all these vicious things to come to power. Don't harass ours or anyone else's family members. We never bothered your family members."
"It is not that we are saying that your families have done something wrong or that they have something that we can trouble you about. If you want to put us in jail to come to power, put me in jail," he said.
"The way you have attacked my family and (want to) put me in jail...What is the use of exposing all these things? Court sees proof and decides...Put me in jail, I am not Krishna but can you say that you are not Kans?" he added.
Talking about NCP leader Nawab Malik, who was arrested over a land deal wherein he had allegedly bought property from an aide of Dawood Ibrahim at a price lower than the prevailing market rate, Thackeray said:
"You ask for the resignation of Nawab Malik. Tell me first, why did you support Mehbooba Mufti who had sympathy for Afzal Guru and Burhan Wani?"
"Where is Dawood? Does anyone know where is he? You fought last elections in the name of Ram Mandir. Now, are you going to ask for votes in the name of Dawood? Did Obama ask for votes in the name of Laden? If you have guts then kill Dawood, will you?" he asked in the Assembly.
Thackeray further questioned what were the central agencies doing if Nawab Malik had a connection with Dawood Ibrahim for several years.
"The matter is in court. I think LoP Fadnavis must be recruited by ED as he gave all the documents to ED, as he said somewhere," he added.
Background
The Enforcement Directorate had on Tuesday, 22 March, provisionally attached the immovable properties belonging to Thackeray's brother-in-law Shridhar Madhav Patankar.
The immovable properties, worth Rs 6.45 crore, were attached in the case of M/s Pushpak Bullion, one of the group companies of Pushpak Group. The attachment includes 11 residential flats in the Neelambari Project, Thane, belonging to Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt Ltd.
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