Pune: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth over Rs 65 crore in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. Addressing the media in Pune on Saturday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, who has been named in the case, said the democracy will cease to exist if ED investigations are initiated against all political parties that are against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

"The democracy will come to an end. It will be no less than a dictatorship if such ED investigations are initiated against all political parties that are against the BJP government," Ajit Pawar said while addressing a press conference in Pune a day after the ED initiated a probe in the Jarandeshwar Sugar Factory case.

The ED claimed that the MSCB conducted an auction of the Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar factory in the year 2010 at an undervalued price, without following due procedure.

"Ajit Pawar was one of the prominent and influential members of the board of directors of MSCB at the relevant time," the ED said.

The officials found that a major part of the funds utilized towards the purchase of the said Sahkari Sugar factory was received from Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt. Ltd. which received the same from Sparkling Soil Pvt. Ltd., a company related to Ajit Pawar.

Denying his links with the firm under ED's scanner, Ajit Pawar said the case was brought to his notice by some journalist. "As I did not know anything as to why the ED had initiated an enquiry, I could not speak [on the matter]. This matter is sub-judice. So, at first, I gathered all possible information about the ongoing enquiry and then told my side of the story. We are all prepared to cooperate with the enquiry officer in this matter."

Ajit Pawar claimed that the leaders of other political parties like the BJP and the Congress have also purchased cooperative sugar factories in such auctions but no one is talking about them.

Ajit Pawar said, "JarandeshwarSahkari Sugar Mill fetched the highest price as compared to other sugar factories. There were some cooperative factories that were sold for as less as Rs 4 crore. It is not just NCP leaders who bought these defaulting sugar factories, leaders of the BJP and the Congress party have also purchased them, but no one is talking about those deals."

Ajit Pawar also said that he has never seen any political party pass any resolution to start a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry against the opposition party leader. BJP state president ChandrakantPatil had passed such a resolution in its state-level meeting.

Ajit Pawar accepted that the Jarandeshwar Sugar Sahkari factory was managed and run by his cousin RajendraGhadge.However, while talking about ED's statement that there exists a conflict of interest in the sale and purchase of the mill, Ajit Pawar said, "The investigating agencies write what they want. It is very sad that if someone has made up their mind that the other person is wrong, then no one can do anything but go and appeal before the court of law."