Chhattisgarh coal scam: 'BJP frustrated… third-rate politics', Cong on ED raids
Enforcement Directorate raids at premises linked to Chhattisgarh Congress leaders come days before ruling party's plenary meet.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel Monday hit out at Enforcement Directorate raids – over a money laundering case connected to an alleged coal levy scam - at eight locations in the state linked to members of the ruling Congress and said 'our spirits cannot be broken by stopping our comrades'.
"Today the ED has raided the houses of many of my colleagues, including the treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, the former vice-president of the party and an MLA," he tweeted in Hindi.
Baghel also said the raids were another indication the Bharatiya Janata Party 'is frustrated with the success of (the) 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and the truth of Adani (referring to the row over short-seller Hindenburg's report accusing Gautam Adani's conglomerate of financial fraud) being exposed'. "This raid is an attempt to divert attention. The country knows the truth. We will fight and win," he said.
The Congress, meanwhile, held a press conference in Delhi addressed by Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, and slammed the raids as an example of 'third rate politics' by prime minister Narendra Modi and the BJP. Ramesh and Khera also accused PM Modi of practicing 'politics of vendetta and vengeance'.
The raids come four days before the Congress hosts a plenary session in Raipur that is expected to be attended by over 10,00 functionaries and senior leaders.
Earlier today a senior police official confirmed raids are underway - both in state capital Raipur and in the Durg district. Premises linked to 'some senior leaders, spokespersons and a legislator' are among those targeted by the ED.
READ | Coal levy case: ED raids locations linked to Chhattisgarh Cong leaders
News of the raids have re-ignited claims by the Congress that the BJP uses central investigative agencies, like the ED, to target and harass opposition leaders, particularly before an election; Chhattisgarh will vote in November.
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At the Delhi presser Ramesh reminded reporters that 17 opposition parties had united against the grant of powers to the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will file a review petition in the Supreme Court.
According to news agency PTI, the legislator referred to is Devendra Yadav from Bhilai in Durg, and locations in Raipur linked to the Congress' state spokesperson, RP Singh, were also raided. The official said the agency is investigating those it believes profited from proceeds of the crime - the alleged coal levy scam that took place during the tenure of this Congress government.
The ED has claimed an illegal levy of ₹25 was extorted for every ton of coal transported in the state. The cartel behind the scam allegedly involves senior bureaucrats, businessmen and politicians. The ED has also claimed ₹52 crore went to a senior political leader and some ₹4 crore to various MLAs.
READ | Coal levy scam: ED attaches accused Saumya Chaurasia's properties worth ₹7.57 crore
In documents submitted to the court the ED claimed to have uncovered a 'mega scam', the 'genesis' of which it said it had traced to a July 2020 notification signed by Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS officer who was then the director of state government's Geology and Mining department. So far nine persons, including Vishnoi and coal businessman Sunil Agrawal, have been arrested.
With input from agencies
