Nashik: NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday denied that he joined the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state to avoid investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, and also said he had never made any such admission.
The case against him had been closed when he was part of the previous government and he and his colleagues sided with the BJP to ensure speedy development in their constituencies, he said.
Bhujbal was responding to a claim in a book by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai that he admitted that the ED case was a factor in his decision to part ways with the Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar and support Ajit Pawar who split the party in July 2023.
“I have not read the book. I think it is a deliberate attempt to divert attention. We are in the middle of assembly elections. After the elections, I will consult my lawyers and take action if anything wrong has been attributed to me,” he told reporters here.
“My case was closed when I was in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government. I deny what is being attributed to me in the media,’ Bhujbal added.
Bhujbal was arrested in an alleged money laundering case related to the construction of Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi.
He was granted bail in 2018.
Earlier in the day, MP Supriya Sule of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) cited excerpts from the book as published by a newspaper, and said they validate her allegations.
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