ATS probing terror funds' use in polls, says Fadnavis; claims 'foreign interference' evidence

Fadnavis referred to a case being probed in Malegaon in the state’s Nashik district, as well as a meeting held in Nepal, which deliberated on the removal of EVMs and the need for ballot papers in polls.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said the Anti-Terrorism Squad is probing the use of terror funds in the recent assembly polls and asserted there was "evidence of foreign interference in Indian elections."

Fadnavis referred to a case being probed in Malegaon in the state’s Nashik district, as well as a meeting held in Nepal, which deliberated on the removal of EVMs and the need for ballot papers in polls. Speaking in the assembly, Fadnavis said the opposition used all means to win the state polls. He emphasized he was not questioning the opposition’s patriotism, but they should realize to whom they are lending their shoulders to create unrest in the country.

“To win elections, vote jihad was spoken about. Seventeen demands were given to you and you keep quiet. This year, in Malegaon, some youth complained to police about Rs 114 crore in benami money being deposited into their accounts. The accused, Siraj Mohammad, used Aadhaar and PAN details of 14 individuals to create 14 accounts in Nashik Merchants Cooperative Bank in Malegaon,” the CM told the House.

The Rs 114 crore deposited in this manner was then diverted to Siraj Mohammad and 21 other accounts, he said, adding the case is not restricted to Malegaon but is spread across 21 states with 201 accounts seeing transactions to the tune of Rs 1000 crore. Out of the Rs 1000 crore, Rs 600 crore was sent to Dubai and Rs 100 crore was used for different purposes in the Maharashtra polls, Fadnavis said. "The ATS is probing it as part of terror funding. There was evidence of foreign interference in Indian elections. The opposition is allowing their shoulders to be used by someone else," Fadnavis said.

On November 15 this year, a meeting was held in Nepal's capital Kathmandu that was attended by some organizations which took part in the (Rahul Gandhi-led) Bharat Jodo Yatra, and issues like opposing electronic voting machines (EVMs) and introduction of ballot papers in Maharashtra and BJP-ruled states were discussed, the CM said in the assembly. Forty of the 180 outfits that took part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra were named as frontal organizations when the Congress-(undivided) NCP ruled Maharashtra and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power at the Centre, he pointed out. These organizations campaigned for the Maha Vikas Aghadi in the assembly polls, he asserted.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). In the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls, the results of which were declared on November 23, the Mahayuti of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP received an emphatic mandate, winning 230 of the 288 seats in the state.