RAIPUR: CM Bhupesh Baghel launched a blistering attack on the ED raids calling it a ‘political vendetta’ in the state and alleged that the Modi govt was trying out means to topple the Congress in the state through the central agency. He also alleged that the federal agency sleuths were forcefully getting documents signed during the raids by threatening the Congress leaders.
“More than 50 searches have taken place since Congress’ 85th plenary in February. The central agency is not revealing anything including how much money or assets were seized during the raids. Said Baghel interacting with the reporters in Raipur.
“ED officials from different states of the country have been deployed here…Had our government been in a slight majority, they would have tried to poach our MLAs. But we have got a massive majority of 71 seats (in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly), that’s why they (Bharatiya Janata Party) failed to make such an attempt. But now the ED is being misused…,” he added.
ED has been investigating an alleged scam of coal levy in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians, and middlemen.
Nine persons, including a Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and state administrative service officer Saumya Chaurasia, have been arrested by the agency so far in the case since October last year.