ED's move for closure of PMLA case against Mushrif shows BJP govt's 'washing machine politics': Cong

MUMBAI: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the BJP government over the ED's move to seek closure of proceedings in a money laundering case against Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Hasan Mushrif, saying it exposed the ruling party's "washing machine politics".

The opposition party accused the government of using central investigative agencies for its political gains and to harass leaders from rival parties.

The opposition uses the "washing machine" analogy to claim that leaders facing investigations by central agencies -- such as the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the Income Tax Department -- see their cases dropped, delayed, or placed in "cold storage" soon after they join or ally with the BJP.

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai has accepted the ED's closure report in the 2022 money laundering case registered against Mushrif and his sons, citing quashing of the linked predicate offences.

In a statement, Congress secretary and the party's Telangana co-in-charge, Sachin Sawant, said the ED's move had provided relief to Mushrif and his family, and wondered if the minister would have received similar relief had he remained in the opposition.

He questioned BJP leader Kirit Somaiya's silence, recalling that he had submitted a 2,700-page complaint against Mushrif to the ED and the I-T Department.

"Somaiya, who submitted a 2,700-page complaint against Mushrif, is now silent. Where has his file of allegations gone?" the Congress leader asked.

He alleged that the central agencies had been routinely misused over the last 12 years to tarnish the image of opposition leaders, politically harass them and force them to surrender before the ruling dispensation.

Sawant claimed that after Mushrif joined the ruling Mahayuti alliance as part of the NCP, the action against him slowed down and the BJP's alleged "washing machine politics" came into play.

He said opposition leaders faced serious corruption allegations and swift action by investigative agencies, but proceedings against them slowed down or were withdrawn after they joined the ruling alliance.

Questioning the effectiveness of the agencies, Sawant claimed that the conviction rate in cases pursued by them over the last 12 years had remained negligible.

He said agencies meant to fight corruption and protect national interests were instead being used for political vendetta.

Public money was being spent on these institutions and they should enforce the law impartially rather than serving the political interests of those in power, the Congress leader added.

The money laundering probe against Mushrif stemmed from a complaint filed by Registrar of Companies (RoC), Pune, in March 2022 for alleged violations of the Companies Act, and a subsequent FIR registered at the Murgud police station in Kolhapur in February 2023 for alleged fraudulent generation and manipulation of share capital raised from farmers.

However, the Bombay High Court, in 2025, quashed the offence registered at the Murgud police station.

Seeking to close the probe, the ED informed the special court in Mumbai that since the scheduled offence is a 'sine qua non' (essential condition) for initiating proceedings under the PMLA, nothing survived in the money laundering complaint following the HC orders.