Monday, May 20

23 Political Leaders Have Got Reprieve In Corruption Cases On Joining BJP: Report

Edited by Kabani R
Chandigarh Deputy 23 Political Leaders Have Got Reprieve In Corruption Cases On Joining BJP: Report; Congress Slams PM Modi's "Washing Machine"23 Political Leaders Have Got Reprieve In Corruption Cases On Joining BJP: Report

Citing a recent Indian Express report, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge commented that Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s “washing machine has become fully automatic.” The Express investigative article titled “Since 2014, 25 Opposition leaders facing corruption probe crossed over to BJP, 23 of them got reprieve” was published in the newspaper on Wednesday.

As per the report, as many as 25 politicians from different opposition parties who have been facing corruption charges under central agencies have switched to the BJP since PM Modi came to power for the first time in 2014.  Among them, 23 political leaders have received reprieve in the cases from the investigation agencies, daily reported. They include 10 from the Congress, four each from NCP and Shiv Sena, three from the Trinamool Congress, two from TDP, and one each from Samajwadi Party and YSRCP. Besides, as many as three cases against these opposition leaders have been closed, while rest of the 20 are “either stalled or in cold storage”, the Indian Express added.

The report gives a detailed account of all 23 leaders, the charges they faced and current status of the probe.

As NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) joined the ruling BJP-led NDA, the cases against their top leaders, Ajit Pawar and Praful Patel, were closed. Thereby, the Opposition has termed the saffron party as “washing machine,” denoting the rising occurrence of politicians accused of corruption who are freed from facing charges after switching over to the BJP. Ajit Pawar’s case was on money laundering in connection with alleged irregularities at Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank, and Praful Patel was facing corruption charges for the alleged irregularities in the leasing of aircraft by National Aviation Corporation of India Ltd. (NACIL). Similarly, after Hasan Mushrif, the NCP leader joined the BJP, and thereafter, no steps against him in relation to the money laundering case—alleged irregularities at the Sar Senapati Santaji Ghorpade Sugar Factory (SSSGSF) in Kolhapur—were taken.

Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik was booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over alleged irregularities in connection with companies’ dealings with a security firm. He shifted to the BJP-led NDA in 2022, and as per the current status, no further action has been taken. Meanwhile, an inquiry against a Shiv Sena leader in a case of alleged fraud at the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL) is going on. Similarly, Bhavana Gawali shifted her allegiance from the Shiv Sena to the BJP in 2022. In 2020, ED conducted raids on premises linked to her in connection with a money laundering case, but currently, no supplementary chargesheets have been filed against her. Shiv Sena leaders Yamini and Yashwant Jadhav joined the BJP-led NDA in 2022. The couple was under investigation by multiple investigative agencies in connection with the alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). At present, no progress has been made in the case.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, then part of Congress, joined the saffron party in 2015. He is the current chief minister of Assam. Himanta Biswa Sarma’s name was associated with the alleged financial transactions regarding the Saradha Chit Fund scam case in 2014; at present, there has been no development. CM Ramesh, then TDP MP, and his company were facing allegations of irregularities over Rs 100 crore.  He joined the BJP in 2019, and no action has been reported thereafter. Though the ED registered a money laundering case in 2019, no progress has been recorded. Raninder Singh, Congress leader and son of former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh, shifted to the BJP in 2021. He was facing an inquiry under alleged FEMA violations in connection with an I-T probe.

Sanjay Seth was part of the Samajwadi Party (SP) before joining the BJP in 2019. In 2015, I-T raids were conducted on Seth’s company, but now, though the inquiry is still ongoing, no action has been taken. Suvendu Adhikari is one of the accused in the Narada sting operation case. The TMC leader joined the BJP in 2020. The CBI still awaiting sanction for prosecution from the Lok Sabha Speaker since Suvendu Adhikari was an MP at the time of the offense. Similarly, former TMC leader Sovan Chatterjee is another accused in the Narada sting case as well as questioned by central agencies in the Saradha chit fund case too. He joined the BJP in 2018 and quit the party in 2021. The CBI arrested him in May of the same year; he is now on bail, and his case is awaiting trial. Y

SRCP MP Geetha and her husband, P. Ramakoteswara Rao, were charged by the CBI for bank fraud in 2015. She joined the BJP in 2019. In March this year, the Telangana High Court stayed the conviction, and the probe agency has yet to challenge the court stay. Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to the NCP, is now part of the BJP-led NDA alliance. In 2016, the ED arrested Bhujbal in connection with a corruption case. He received bail after two years, yet at the time, the ED challenged the politician’s permission to travel abroad at court, and in December last year, the probe agency withdrew the petition on the same. Kripashankar Singh, then Mumbai Congress chief, was booked by police in an assets case, and ED followed the case with a money laundering investigation. In 2019, he resigned from Congress and joined the BJP in 2021. At present, the ED case remains pointless.

Congress leader Digambar Kamat joined the BJP in 2022. Since 2015, he has been facing an ED probe into the Louis Berger scam, and as per the current status, the trial is on. Ashok Chavan’s name hit headlines in connection with the Adarsh housing scam. Then Congress leader was Maharashtra chief minister also. Though the ED launched a money laundering probe following the CBI FIR, the trial is currently stayed. Ashok Chavan joined the BJP in February of this year. Congress leader Naveen Jindal also joined the BJP in 2024. Industrialist Naveen Jindal faced charges under coal block allocation cases, and an ED inquiry on the matter is still ongoing. TMC leader Tapas Roy has also joined the BJP this year. The ED raided his residence in connection with the alleged irregularities in civic body recruitments. The probe is on, yet Taps Roy is the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar. Archana Patil shifted to the BJP from the Congress in 2024. In 2017, the I-T raid was conducted on the premises of her husband’s company, and in February this year, the I-T Tribunal said that since incriminating evidence was found during the raid, there is no case.

Geeta Koda switched from the Congress to the BJP this year. Her husband and former Jharkhand CM, Madhu Koda, are under investigation by central agencies concerning disproportionate asset and coal block allocation cases. The inquiry is still going on in many other cases. Congress leader Baba Siddiqui joined the NCP and the BJP-led NDA in 2024. He was facing charges in connection with irregularities in a slum redevelopment project.Jyoti Mirdha shifted from the Congress to the BJP last year. In Mirdha’s case, her in-law is facing charges. Indiabulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut is the brother of Jyoti Mirdha’s husband, Narendra Gehlaut. Since 2020, the federal agency has been investigating Indiabulls in multiple cases, including the Yes Bank case. Sujana Chowdary, the TDP leader, joined the BJP in 2019. The former Union minister and ex-MP is facing charges under the loan fraud case, and the charge sheet is still in place.

As per the daily’s latest findings, following the political upheaval witnessed by Maharashtra in 2022 and 2023, the majority of the central investigative agencies inquiries were focused on the state.

Slamming the ruling power, Congress chief has also added: “Despotic misuse of investigative agencies by Modi-Shah as a political weapon has not only hit the autonomy of these agencies, but has become a curse to Level Playing Field and Democracy !”