Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has claimed that independent member Navneet Rana received an Rs 80 lakh loan from film financier and builder Yusuf Lakdawala, detained in a money laundering case by the Enforcement Directorate, and has asked the central agency to investigate. He died in September last year at the Arthur Road jail in this city.
Raut asked another question on Wednesday: Is there an “underworld connection” to the political row about reciting Hanuman Chalisa like there was in 1993 in Mumbai?
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On Saturday, Ravi Rana and his wife, Navneet Rana, were arrested by the Mumbai police. They had called on people to recite the Hanuman Chalisa (hymns dedicated to Lord Hanuman) outside the private home of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in the Bandra area of the city.
Eventually, the Ranas decided not to go through with their plan. They were arrested by the police and charged with several crimes under the Indian Penal Code, including sedition and promoting enmity between different groups.
“In the last few days, Yusuf Lakdawala died in prison. Navneet Rana got a loan from him of about $80,000. The same Lakdawala was arrested by @dir ed in a money laundering case. He has ties to the D gang, which is why he was arrested by @dir ed. Has ED looked into this? This is a question about the safety of the country!” This is what Raut tweeted about late Tuesday night. He also added two tags to his post: “PM’s Office” and “Devendra Fadnavis.” (sic)
This was another tweet that Raut made on Wednesday. “Wednesday,” he said, “The ED arrested connection to the underworld Lakdawala in a money laundering case, and he died while being held in the prison. This means that Rana now has Yusuf’s money. When will ED serve Rana tea? It’s because they are important. They don’t want to talk.”
Raut tweeted a picture of what he thought was a financial statement of Navneet Rana, an actress who became a politician. It said that Rana had taken out a loan of Rs 80 million from Lakdawala.
