Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and Shiv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray on Tuesday alleged that the Central agencies have become the “publicity machinery” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but the state will now bow down.

His remarks came after the Income Tax department carried out searches at the premises of Shiv Sena corporator and Standing Committee chairperson of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Yashwant Jadhav.

Enforcement Directorate had also carried out searches at the residence of Sujit Patkar, who is a partner in a firm of Raut’s daughters, Purvashi and Vidhita, in a Rs 1034 crore land scam case last month.

“The Central agencies have been misused in the past too. It happened in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and now it’s happening in Maharashtra. The Central agencies have in a way become publicity machinery of the BJP. Maharashtra will not bow down,” Thackeray told media persons.
Earlier, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut also alleged that the BJP-led Centre is troubling party leaders using the central agencies.

“The Central agencies are troubling our party leaders. Pressure is being created on our leaders using these agencies. Some of the BJP leaders are saying that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will fall on March 10. All these rumours started after I wrote to (Vice President) M Venkaiah Naidu,” Raut said. (ANI)