NEW DELHI: After Sanjay Raut was arrested, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena slashed the government on Monday, asserting that the Rajya Sabha MP was detained because he was a "voice of dissent" against the BJP. Anand Dubey, the leader of the Shiv Sena, declared in a video message that the ED crackdown was a "dark day for democracy" and promised that the "Marathi Veer" will fight to the very end.

In connection with alleged irregularities in the reconstruction of a Mumbai chawl and related transactions involving his wife and "associates," Sanjay Raut was detained by the ED. Sources claim that Raut was detained for "non-cooperation" and that "unaccounted cash was seized," as per the ED. It was also reported that damning documents had been taken. The central agency as a part of its investigation on July 31 conducted searches at his home in Bhandup for 9 hours and questioned him before shifting him to the agency's office in south Mumbai in the evening.

"The democracy in Maharashtra and in India is having a bad day. He was detained after spending hours being questioned just because he is an opposition leader and a voice of dissent that disturbs Delhi. Delhi has been attempting to bother Raut and arrest him for the past 2.5 years. He was defrauded and arrested in an old case, "Raut claimed.

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi issued a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha against the "misuse of investigative agencies" in the wake of this arrest. Kapil Sibal has questioned the Supreme Court's recent decision upholding the ED's authority to make arrests under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and NCP workers have announced demonstrations in support of the Shiv Sena MP who is currently in jail outside the ED office at 10 a.m. today.

Big action by ED, Sanjay Raut taken into custody...

Uddhav furious over ED's raid at Sanjay Raut's house

'Don't come to our party who are scared of ED': Eknath Shinde