Mumbai Police summon BJP Oppn Leader in bank fraud case

Mumbai, April 3 The Mumbai Police have issued summons to Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar for investigations into the Mumbai District Central Cooperative Bank fraud case.

The MRA Marg Police Station has summoned Darekar in connection with a case registered on March 14 based on a complaint by Aam Aadmi Party state general secretary Dhananjay Shinde.

Shinde has alleged that the BJP leader has cheated the government and the MDCCB by impersonating as a labourer to contest the bank's elections as a Director in the labour category.

He further said that Darekar served the MDCCB Director and two terms as the Chairman, after which a probe was ordered by the Maharashtra Cooperative Department and he was disqualified in January 2022.

Shinde further stated that it was during Darekar's tenure that misappropriation of MDCCB's funds to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore allegedly took place and sought his resignation as Leader of Opposition.

Besides AAP, Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari had filed a complaint against Darekar in September 2021 with Ghatkopar Police Station who had misdeclared his professional credentials in his election affidavits.

Darekar has consistently denied all the allegations levelled against him in the matter by Shinde and Tiwari, with the latter urging Union Minister for Cooperation Amit Shah to clarify the party's stand in the matter.