Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on whether the Central agency would probe arrested Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Navneet Rana, who has disclosed that she availed a ₹80 lakh loan from Yusuf Lakdawala, who has been arrested by the ED in a money laundering case and for his connections with gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
“Navneet Rana availed loan of ₹80 lakh from Yusuf Lakdawala who died in jail recently. The same Lakdawala was arrested by the ED in a ₹200 crore money laundering case and had links with the D-gang [Dawood Ibrahim gang]. Has the ED investigated the matter? This is the question on national security,” Mr. Raut said. He shared the election affidavit filed by Ms. Rana with the Election Commission of India (EC), which mentions the loan from Lakdawala.
Mr. Raut said that Lakdawala’s illegal money stands deposited with Ms. Rana. “Will the ED ask the Ranas for a cup of tea? Who is protecting the D-gang? Why is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) silent?” he asked.
On Wednesday evening, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil announced that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police will probe the links between Ms. Rana and Lakdawala.
Mr. Raut took to Twitter yet again on Wednesday night, questioning another declaration made by Ms. Rana in her election affidavit on availing a loan worth ₹1.50 crore from one Kirti Kedia of Transcon Development Private Limited, which enterprise was raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 18, 2018 and April 11, 2019 for allegedly duping 20 banks of ₹4,000 crore.
Mr. Raut tweeted: “On 18th Mar ‘18 & 11th Apr 19 Transcon Dev. Pvt ltd ownd by Kirti Kedia was raided by CBI for duping 20 banks of 4000Cr. Accrding to the election affidavit of ‘the grt Navneet Rana’,She had taken a Loan of 1.50Cr from the same Media’s co. Is this True? #CBI @pmo @Dev_Fadnavis.”
BJP leader Mohit Kamboj claimed that Mr. Raut was playing with the name Lakdawala. “The gangster is Ejaz Lakdawala while Yusuf [Lakdawala] was a builder close to the Congress, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) and the Shiv Sena,” Mr. Kamboj said. He shared photographs of Yusuf Lakdawala with NCP chief Sharad Pawar at a public function, and also with late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a function.
“Raut himself was a friend of Lakdawala and [they] used to party at Mahabaleshwar together,” claimed the BJP leader, adding that the Shiv Sena was trying to defame Ms. Rana.
