'No Problem If Sent To Jail': Sharad Pawar After Being Booked By ED

"I have no problem if I am sent to jail. I will enjoy it instead as I have never experienced it. If someone is thinking to put me behind bars in this case, I will rather welcome it," Pawar told reporters.

On September 23, The NCP chief Sharad Pawar, party leader Ajit Pawar and others were named in an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in connection with the Rs 5,000 crore Maharashtra State Co-operative Bank (MSCB) scam case.

Pawar on Tuesday said he would have been "surprised" had there not been such an action against him given the "huge" response he received during his poll campaign in Maharashtra.

"If they have filed a case against me too, I welcome it. I would have been surprised had such action not been taken against me after the kind of response I receive during my visits to various districts of the state," he added.

The former Union minister, however, said he will continue with his campaigning for the October 21 assembly polls in Maharashtra.

Pawar, who initially appeared clueless about his name figuring in the ED's case, said he has not received any notice yet.

Asked if he has been named in the money laundering case as UPA is vocal against the government on several issues, Pawar sarcastically said that he will have to contact Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to answer the question. 

The NCP has dismissed the present case as being politically motivated.

The investigation has been initiated based on the FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police following directions from the Bombay High Court, ED sources said.

On September 2, the Supreme Court had declined to entertain Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) seeking to quash the investigation against NCP leader Ajit Pawar and others in connection with the MSCB scam case.

Pawar also sarcastically "thanked" the central agency for naming him in the case relating to the bank of which he "is not a member and was not involved in its decision-making" in any way.

The Maharashtra unit of the ruling BJP, however, justified the ED action, saying it took the steps as per rules and procedure.

"I thank the probe agencies because they have involved my name in a case relating to such a bank of which I am not even a member of, I was not involved in its decision-making," Pawar told reporters here.

The case pertains to loans given by the bank amounting to crores of rupees to some companies allegedly on the recommendation of Ajit Pawar and some others, who were directors of the bank between the years 2005-2010. The bank had to suffer losses as the companies never returned the loan.

(With inputs from agencies)