Raipur: As the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh approach, the political atmosphere in the state is getting more intense. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has strongly criticized the BJP in response to the raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Baghel firmly believes that these raids are part of a strategy aimed at tarnishing his administration’s reputation. He cautioned that with each raid initiated by the BJP, they are likely to witness a decrease in their seats.
Highlighting the sequence of events, CM Baghel emphasized, “Following BJPs defeat in the Jharkhand elections in July 2020 it seems that there has been a deliberate campaign against us especially under allegations related to a supposed liquor scam.” He referred to the CAG reports from 2019 and 2020, which were examined based on claims associated with this alleged scam.
Questioning BJP’s motives, Baghel stated, “For, over two years the party remained inactive; however now that elections are looming ahead suddenly we see an ED. Despite providing all documentation to them these allegations persist.”
Addressing irregularities, the Chief Minister explained further: “Initially it was claimed that scams amounting to Rs 6500 crore had taken place…” However, the amount of seized assets did not exceed Rs 2018 crore. Interestingly, our state’s Excise Department revenue was Rs 2018 crore, before 200, and has now increased to Rs 3900 crore under our leadership.