Congress haunted by the same ED which it had created: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief (SP) Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the Congress was being haunted by the Enforcement Directorate, an agency which the party had created when it was in power at the Centre.

He made the remark soon after his arrival in Bhubaneswar. The SP leader, who has been working to expand his party in other parts of the country in order to get the national party tag, was in the Odisha capital to meet senior politician and former Union minister Srikant Jena.

“More than National Herald, I want to speak on ED. The Congress had created ED and today they are being haunted by ED itself. I had earlier said that when there so many agencies like the income tax (department) and others to take care of economic offences then what’s the need for ED? Such departments like ED should be disbanded,” the SP chief said, speaking to the media.

Akhilesh Yadav was accompanied by party MP from Ghosi Rajeev Rai on his visit to Bhubaneswar.

On his Bhubaneswar visit, Yadav said, “I have come to Odisha many times. However, this time it is after a long gap. I had earlier met senior leader Srikant Jena in Delhi and we had discussed the social justice dream shown by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Today, I got a chance to meet Srikant Jenaji, who is a senior leader, secular and socialist in his thoughts. We will try that Samajwadi Party should also have a presence in Odisha and move ahead by bringing in more people to our fold.”

“We will work to realise Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s dream of establishing social justice,” the SP chief said.

“I am happy that in Odisha, Srikant Jenaji, along with his associates, are raising their voice to save the Constitution and our rights,” he said.

“I am hopeful that Srikant Jena will come with us and strengthen our fight,” he further said.

“Earlier, we used to fight the Congress party on the issue of caste-based census... We are happy that today the Congress party has accepted the fact that caste- based census should be done as, without it, social justice won’t be achieved.”

Speaking on the INDIA bloc, the SP chief stated, “Everyone is of the view that INDIA alliance and our resolution from day one should be strengthened further. The fight is big, but I am hopeful that we have succeeded in waking up the people of Uttar Pradesh.”

Remembering his previous visits to Odisha, the SP chief said, “I came first when tigers had died in Nandankanan. I was a member of the JPC. After that, Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) decided to build a Lion Safari in Etawah. Another time I came here with Netaji at a firing range, when he was the defence minister and former President APJ Abdul Kalam was heading the DRDO.”