'Third-rate' politics of 'vendetta, vengeance and harassment': Cong on ED raids on its leaders in Chhattisgarh

The raids come days before the plenary session of the Congress party from February 24-26 in the state capital Raipur

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday searched multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including premises of Congress leaders, in connection with a money laundering case linked to coal levy, prompting the Congress to attack the Union government saying it will not be intimidated by the "third rate politics" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The raids, which came just four days ahead of the Congress Plenary Session in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, were carried out in locations including those of Congress MLA Devendra Yadav, Chhattisgarh Congress treasurer Ram Gopal Agrawal, State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Chairman Sushil Sunny Agrawal and party's state spokesperson R P Singh in Raipur.

Also Read | ED raids Congress leaders' premises in Chhattisgarh coal levy money laundering case

The ED claimed they were investigating those who have been the "beneficiaries" of the alleged coal levy scam that took place during the current government's tenure. The ED is investigating a "massive scam" in which Rs 25 was levied for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel of senior bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen and middlemen.

Targeting the Modi government, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said it is not "amrit kaal" but an "undeclared emergency" in the country while party's Media Department Chairman Pawan Khera described ED as "Eliminating Democracy".

Both the leaders as well as Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the raids will not deter the Congress and the Plenary is going to be a "roaring success". Baghel said in Raipur that the Bharat Jodo Yatra's success has rattled the BJP and that the raids are not going to break the spirit of Congress workers.

"This government changed many definitions, changed many traditions and changed many abbreviations. Now ED means Eliminating Democracy. My senior colleague Jairam Ramesh says ED is now 'Exterminating Democracy'. Both things are true and it is surprising that when you see the figures, between 2004 and 2014 when UPA was in power, ED raided 112 times. In the last eight years, ED has conducted 3,010 raids and if you keep the list of political parties and politicians in front, then 95 per cent of raids have been conducted by ED on the opposition," Khera said.

Also Read | ED arrests 4 in Chhattisgarh coal levy 'scam', money laundering case

Accusing the Modi government of targeting the Opposition using central agencies, Khera said Congress was raided by ED 24 times since 2014 followed by Trinamool Congress (19), NCP (11), Shiv Sena (8), DMK (6), BJD (6), RJD (5), BSP (5), SP (5), TDP (5), INLD (3), YSR Congress (3), CPM (2), NC (2), PDP (2), AIADMK (1), MNS (1) and SBSP (1)

Seeking a response from the "father of hypocrisy who is the Prime Minister in the Mother of Democracy", Khera said, "when the media prints the truth, you raid them. In Parliament, you do not allow the Opposition to speak. You force the judiciary to hold press conferences. You have made CBI, Income Tax a frontal organisation against the Congress party and the opposition. Is this your "Mother of Democracy? Why don't you investigate the mega scam of your best friend Adani?"

Ramesh said the raids were clearly the "politics of vendetta, politics of vengeance, politics of harassment" but "we are not afraid, we have nothing to hide. We will not be intimidated. I have repeatedly said we are not scared of Modi’s policy of FDI is- Fear, Deceit and Intimidation. We will not be intimidated and we will not be cowed down".

Khera and Ramesh accused the Modi government of being selective in its approach and claimed that the leaders who were raided once were given a "fair and lovely" treatment after they joined the BJP.

"What is the reason that Shubhendu Adhikari, Mukul Roy, BS Yeddiyurappa, Reddy brothers, Narayan Rane, Himanta Biswa Sarma suddenly became clean? If you were fair, if your agencies were fair then today Himanta Biswas Sarma would not have been Chief Minister and Yeddiyurappa, Reddy brothers, Rane, Roy and Adhikari would not be roaming freely," Khera said.