The drama has intensified Maharashtra as the state readies for the upcoming assembly elections.

A day after the Enforcement Directorate booked Sharad Pawar and his nephew in a money laundering case, the NCP head said that he will not “bow down before Delhi” and will go to the ED office on Friday.

“Maharashtra follows the ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We don’t know bowing down before the Delhi takht (throne),” Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai.

Pawar and his nephew Ajit have been booked by the ED in connection with an alleged Rs 25,000-crore Maharashtra State Co-operative money laundering case.

Pawar added that he would rather enjoy if put behind the bars as it would be a first experience for him.

“I have no problem if I am sent to jail. I will enjoy it instead as I have never experienced it. If someone is thinking to put me behind bars, in this case, I will rather welcome it,” Pawar told reporters.

When asked whether he has been named in the money laundering case because the UPA is vocal against the government on several issues, Pawar sarcastically said that he will have to contact Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to know the reason.

Besides Pawar and Ajit, Diliprao Deshmukh, Isharlal Jain, Jayant Patil, Shivaji Rao Nalvade, Anand Rao Adsul, Rajendra Shingane, Madan Patil and some others have also been named in the case.

The investigation has been initiated based on the FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police following directions from the Bombay High Court, ED sources said.

The case pertains to loans provided by Maharashtra State Co-operative (MSC) Bank to co-operative sugar factories, spinning mills and other processing units. It is alleged that top executives and office-bearers were given loans in a fraudulent manner.