BJP using ED in Rajasthan after failing to kidnap democracy, says Congress

Hindustan Times, Jaipur | ByHT Correspondent| Edited by Sabir Hussain

Jul 22, 2020 03:04 PM IST

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The Congress has accused the BJP of unleashing government agencies after failing to topple the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan.

The Congress on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after failing to “kidnap democracy” and topple the Rajasthan government.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the BJP has given birth to ‘raid raj’.(HT PHOTO)

The accusation came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s elder brother Agrasen Gehlot’s premises in the morning.

“The people who sit in Delhi think that they can trample democracy and when they fail to kidnap democracy they use ED for raids. As soon as the BJP conspired to topple the government, they sent the income tax department and ED which raided Congress leaders Dharmendra Rathore and Rajeev Arora’s places,” Randeep Singh Surjewala, national spokesperson of the Congress told reporters.

“The ED raided the house of Ashok Gehlot’s elder brother Agrasen Gehlot in Jodhpur just because he is the elder brother of the chief minister of the state. He has nothing to do with politics,” Surjewala said.

“On July 20 and July 21, the CBI questioned MLA Krishna Poonia who brought laurels for the country in the Olympics. Why is the BJP conspiring to topple the government, Yesterday chief minister’s OSD Devaram Saini was also quizzed. The central leaders in BJP have given birth to ‘raid raj’ (Raid Rule). BJP has become mentally bankrupt and they use these agencies when they fail but they should understand that people of Rajasthan who have a history of bravery and their elected MLAs will not bow down in front of them,” Surjewala said.

The Congress has the BJP has been behind a campaign to lure away its MLAs to topple the Gehlot government.

The BJP hit back with deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore saying that before making any allegations against the ED and Income tax department, Congress should look at what Rajasthan’s Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Special Operations group (SOG) are doing.

“What powers does the SOG have to arrest an MLA on the basis of recordings which have been leaked from CM’s residence? Before making allegations on us they should know what they are doing in state,” Rathore said.