Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Tuesday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre was trying to topple the Maharashtra government by using central agencies to target its leaders, PTI reported.

Maharashtra is ruled by a coalition government of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress.

At a press conference at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday, Raut claimed that BJP leaders had asked him to shift his allegiance and warned that he would suffer consequences for refusing to do so.

On February 9, Raut had written to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu alleging that he had been threatened with jail time on money laundering charges for refusing to help “certain people” topple the Maharashtra government. Raut told Naidu that “these people” wanted to force the state into mid-term elections.

On February 10, the Shiv Sena leader had alleged that the Enforcement Directorate had threatened people close to him as he had refused help bring down the Maharashtra government, according to a Times of India report.

“Some BJP leaders are saying the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will fall on March 10. All these rumours started after I wrote to Venkaiah Naidu,” Raut was quoted as saying on Tuesday by The Times of India.

The Shiv Sena leader said that his party was not scared of anyone and that the ruling coalition and its leader will not bow to the Centre’s “pressure tactics”.

“Those harassing us will be dealt with after 2024,” he said.

Raut also alleged that Maharashtra BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil were involved in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam. Raut alleged that Rakesh Wadhawan, an accused in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam, and Neil Somaiya are partners in a company.

The Shiv Sena leader said he would submit documents related the case to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.