Sharad Pawar gets Income Tax notice over poll affidavits, says received "love letters"

On a day when the new Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar revealed on Thursday that he had received notice from the Income Tax regarding affidavits filed during the 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2020 elections. 

The MVA government in Maharashtra was facing a political crisis after a revolt in Shiv Sena. The rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde left Guwahati where they were camping for over a week, and landed in Goa.

Taking a swipe at the notices, Pawar called them "love letters".

Pawar tweeted in Marathi: "The help of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and central agencies are being used nowadays and the results are visible. Many members of the Legislative Assembly say they have received notices of inquiry. This new method has started. We didn’t even know the name ED five years ago. Today, even in the villages, people jokingly say that you will have an ED behind you.”

.२००९ साली देखील मी लोकसभेला उभा होतो, २००९ नंतर २०१४ च्या राज्यसभा निवडणुकीला उभा राहिलो, तसेच २०२० च्या राज्यसभा निवडणुकीच्या प्रतिज्ञापत्राबद्दलची नोटीसही आता आलेली आहे. सुदैवाने त्याची सर्व माहिती माझ्याकडे व्यवस्थित ठेवलेली आहे. — Sharad Pawar (@PawarSpeaks) June 30, 2022

He further said, "This system is used for people with different political views. I have received a similar love letter from Income Tax. They are now investigating the information contained in the affidavit while contesting the 2004 Lok Sabha elections."

NCP state chief, Mahesh Bharat Tapase, while casting his doubt over the timing said, "Is it purely coincidental or something else?"

After the change in Maharashtra Govt. @PawarSpeaks gets Income Tax notice for election affidavits of 2004/2009/2014&2020. Is it purely coincidental or something else. @NCPspeaks @PTI_News @ANI

— Mahesh Bharat Tapase महेश भारत तपासे (@maheshtapase) June 30, 2022

Meanwhile Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut, is slated to appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Friday, 1 July, in connection with a money laundering case.

Pawar along with other MVA leaders including Raut, Jayant Patil, and Balasaheb Thorat have blamed the BJP-led government at the Centre for the alleged misuse of central probe agencies including Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation against opponents and terming their actions as ‘’vendetta politics.’’