NCP attacks Prakash Ambedkar for comments on Central agencies

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday slammed Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar's comments vis-a-vis the Bharatiya Janata Party's stance on the Central probe agencies like CBI, ED and Income Tax Department.

Ambedkar - who tied up with the Shiv Sena (UBT) last week - told a news channel on Friday that "there was nothing wrong with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi using Central agencies... those are legal and not illegal."

"If I were in his position, what would I have done... To save the chair I would have done everything legal. If you are clean then you challenge the law, otherwise not," Ambedkar said.

Ripping into Ambedkar, NCP National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that this was a 'serious insinuation' that the Central agencies are being used to save the chair and sustain the party (BJP).

"Ambedkar must corroborate the facts to his statements and prove what he says is true, or BJP must prove that what he is saying is false. If not, then the people of India will begin to believe that BJP is truly misusing the Central agencies," said Crasto sharply.

He added that the BJP has consistently maintained that the CBI, ED, etc are independent agencies and they have never misused them for political benefits or personal vendetta.

Ambedkar's statement comes at a time when leaders of his new ally Sena (UBT) and NCP have been at the receiving end of various Central investigation agencies in the past three years.

Earlier on Saturday, NCP President Sharad Pawar also ridiculed Ambedkar's claims and reiterated his known position on how the Central probe arms are being used to harass Opposition parties and hound their leaders.

Even the Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray stated that the BJP is letting loose Central probe agencies to destroy the Opposition parties and leaders for its own political agenda.

Ambedkar's two controversial remarks in just six days after tying up with Thackeray to offer a 'Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti' power to the Opposition, has raised doubts in minds of various leaders over how long the new alliance will sustain.

Hoping to exploit the cracks, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel on Saturday said his party is prepared to ally with a new Opposition front comprising Congress-NCP in Maharashtra.

However, there was no mention of AIMIM's erstwhile ally, VBA or its ally Sena (UBT) by Jaleel, but there are no reactions to his unilateral offer so far.