ED being used to 'harass' Opposition parties: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate has become a "tool" in the hands of the BJP-led Centre to "destroy" the Opposition parties.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also said that the party was not being allowed to raise the issue of alleged "misuse" of the ED by the Centre in Parliament.

Chowdhury's remarks came a day after the ED raided the head office of the Congress party-owned National Herald newspaper here and other locations as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.

Also Read: SC notice to Centre on plea against extension to Enforcement Directorate head

He said Congress leaders in Lok Sabha had given three adjournment motion notices to raise the issue of alleged "misuse" of the ED.

"The ruling party is not allowing us to raise this issue. Why is the government scared of us putting our point in Parliament," he told reporters.

Chowdhury had tried to raise the issue of investigation into the National Herald newspaper in Lok Sabha, but was disallowed by the chair.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm amid protests by Opposition members over various issues, including raids at the premises of National Herald newspaper in connection with a money laundering investigation.

Chowdhury alleged that ED was being used to "tarnish" the image of the Congress and of the newspaper that played a key role in the national movement.

"Today, the voice of freedom struggle, the National Herald, its image is being tarnished with an ill-intent. The ED is being misused and a conspiracy has been hatched against us. He said the Congress and all other Opposition parties are being harassed and Opposition governments are being destabilised through the misuse of ED," the Congress leader said.

"The ED has become a tool in the hands of the government to destroy Opposition parties and destabilise the state governments of the Opposition. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi does not just want Congress-mukt Bharat but Opposition-mukt Bharat. We wanted two minutes to put forward this but were not allowed," he said.

The Congress on Tuesday had dubbed the ED raids on National Herald office here as "vendetta politics" and said it will not be cowed by such actions and will continue to expose failures of the government.