ED creating fear psychosis, say AAP Goa leaders as agency seeks poll expenses, bank statements

During preliminary questioning on Thursday, both Palekar and AAP’s former Goa vice-president Ramrao Wagh were asked about the details of the party’s expenditure during the 2021-22 campaign, and about declarations made in their election affidavits, The Indian Express has learnt. Sources said the AAP leaders were also asked to furnish details of their bank account transactions in the past five years.

Wagh, an associate professor at Goa University, had joined AAP a few months before the 2022 Assembly election. He contested from the St Andre constituency in North Goa.

While heading out of the ED’s office later in the afternoon, AAP Goa chief Palekar said, “I have joined the investigation. Whatever they (ED) are asking me, I am answering. They have asked me for some data. I am going to share that. I cannot divulge the exact details of the investigation.”

Two leaders of the Bhandari community in Goa, Ashok Naik and Dattaprasad Naik, were also questioned by the ED in connection with the case. Dattaprasad Naik was formerly a BJP spokesperson.

Reacting to the ED action, Venzy Viegas, AAP MLA from Benaulim, said, “This is a new strategy… to harass and put all our leaders in jail. If they have all this money trail, what have they been waiting for in the last two years? They can fabricate evidence and make someone an approver and then use the approver’s statement to keep someone in custody.”

“The law is such that someone will come to my house and say that you have taken money for putting up banners, (hiring) volunteers… and then you have to prove that you have not taken money or face arrest,” he said.

“For the last five days, messages have been circulating that the ED will come at midnight on Good Friday and knock on the doors of AAP MLAs and take us away. What are you trying to create? We have been reading reports… that you (ED) want to do it on a particular day by creating disharmony in Goa,” he said.

Cruz Silva, AAP MLA from Velim constituency, said, “This is being done to break the AAP ahead of elections. They have been doing it in Punjab and now they are doing it in Goa.”