A day after the Enforcement Directorate carried out raids on the premises of his political advisor and other close aides, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on Thursday, accused the BJP of weaponising central agencies to try and put pressure on his government and defame it.
Baghel addressed a press conference at the AICC headquarters in Delhi specifically on the issue of the action taken by the ED and the Income Tax department against functionaries belonging to the ruling dispensation in Chhattisgarh.
A combative Baghel said the fact that the ED and the IT department have become active in Chhattisgarh shows that the BJP is in dire straits over the upcoming assembly elections. "The people of the state know the truth. If they continue to carry out raids on us like this, they will not be able to win even 15 seats," the chief minister added.
He said the central agencies have been used to target his government in the alleged liquor scam, coal scam and Mahadev App online betting scam, and claimed that the main accused have not been apprehended while politicians and government officials have been targeted.
"Scams amounting to Rs 2,168 crore have been alleged to have taken place in Chhattisgarh. But the agencies have not been able to recover assets of more than Rs 200 crore," he said.
Baghel's outburst was in the wake of the raids on his political advisor Vinod Verma and two officers on special duty. The raids, conducted on Wednesday, coincided with Baghel's birthday.
Replying to a question, Baghel said the return gift for the BJP would be Congress winning more than 75 seats in Chhattisgarh and appealed to the courts to take into consideration the alleged weaponisation of the central agencies to target political rivals.
