NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday came out strongly in defence of former deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal, saying his arrest amounted to gross abuse of power.
“In my opinion, there was gross misuse of power. If Bhujbal has committed any crime, he will have to pay for it. If he is not found guilty, the government will have to pay a heavy price. In any case, Bhujbal’s arrest will not have any adverse impact on the party,” he told journalists in Satara.
It is for the second time in the recent past that Pawar has strongly criticized the state and the NDA over action against Bhujbal.
After a series of raids on Bhujbal’s residential and office premises, Pawar said it was done at the instance of a leading city BJP politician. Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule had met Bhujbal in jail.