By Insaf
ED Fresh Assault
‘Weak’ Non-bjp
states target
The Enforcement Directorate is having a field day. It keeps the heat on non-BJP States and on the saffron party’s rival leaders. So, cases in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and the nephew of senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath are rolling out. Expectedly, ensuing Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh has got the ED super active with the obvious target being Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. On Wednesday last, it conducted searches at the premises of his political advisor Vinod Verma and two OSDs in Raipur and Durg districts, besides a businessman. While the nature of the cases is not exactly known, (it is investigating alleged coal scam, liquor scam, irregularities in District Mineral Foundation fund and an online betting application), Baghel who turned 62 that day tweeted: “Respected Prime Minister and Mr. Amit Shah! Thank you very much for the priceless gift you have given me on my birthday by sending ED to my political advisor, OSD and close aides.” The Congress has lashed out other than the normal reaction of ‘political vendetta’, it said the ‘ED action is a clear reaction to all the pre-poll surveys that have predicted a massive rout for the BJP.’
Likewise in Jharkhand, the ED raided premises of Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Rameshwar Oraon, among others as part of a money laundering investigation into a reported liquor scam. Oraon’s son, Rohit, is said to have invested money in some businesses, part of the raids. The Congress reacted: “The ED needs to state what it has found. Rameshwar Oraon is a man of stature, he was a former MP, he headed the SC Commission…His son has a spotless reputation…Whenever the political landscape seems to be sliding out of BJP’s control in Jharkhand, they do politics through the ED. It’s an act of desperation. The public will show them their place soon.” While time will tell, it appears the ED has thrown caution to the winds. On Monday last the Supreme Court had observed “the ED can’t be a law unto itself,” while restraining it and the UP government from proceeding in a fresh case registered against some of the accused in an alleged liquor syndicate racket in Chhattisgarh.
ED Fresh Hit In MP
With reports suggesting the going is not easy for the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh in ensuing polls, the ED on Wednesday last made a fresh arrest in an alleged Rs 354 crore bank fraud linked money laundering case involving Ratul Puri, businessman nephew of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and others. A Maltese citizen and a former relationship manager of Bank of Singapore, Nitin Bhatnagar, was taken into custody under the provisions of the PMLA, produced before a local court which sent him to ED custody till August 31. What is of interest is that the fresh action has taken place since the ED filed a chargesheet against Puri in October 2019, was arrested and is on bail now. Kamal Nath has denied any involvement, but he is aware the spotlight is on him. Poll campaigning has begun and the case in hand will undoubtedly be flogged by the BJP.
Bihar CM-Gov Row
The Chief Minister-Governor fight bug has bitten Bihar too. Whether it stretches out like in other non-BJP states is anybody’s guess, but evidently its universities which end up getting infected. On the heels of Governor (Chancellor) Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar’s secretariat issuing an advertisement inviting applications for VCs posts for seven universities, the Nitish Kumar-led government’s education department has sought the same before the deadline for five of the seven only. Besides, while the chancellor’s secretariat circular seeks applications between August 24 and 27, the last date by the education department is September 13. Not only does it lead to confusion but puts a question mark on the fate of the two left out universities, B N Mandal Univ (Madhepura) and Aryabhatta Knowledge Univ (Patna). The row apparently was triggered earlier this month after the government froze bank accounts of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, (Muzaffarpur) VC and pro-VC for their alleged failure in inspecting the institutions under their jurisdiction and being absent during a review meeting convened by the department. The latter has refused to comply with Raj Bhavan directing it to withdraw this order. On Thursday last, Nitish is said to have called on the Governor for ‘Samadhan-purn’(solution-filled) discussion, nagging uncertainty lingers.
Damage Control
On Onions
Politically hot Maharashtra forces the Centre to swing into damage control. With farmers in the largest producing onion State (42%) protesting the decision to impose a 40% duty on its export, Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal hastily announced on Tuesday last that two cooperative bodies NAFED and NCCF will procure 2 lakh additional tonnes of onions at a ‘historic’ rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal (instead of Rs 1,470-1,713 per quintal), and if need be, buy even more. This after Nashik Onion Traders’ Association had announced an indefinite shutdown of onions’ auction at all APMCs and many other farmers’ organisations had taken to the streets following the export duty announcement. Importantly, the Shinde-Fadnavis government sent an SOS to Centre saying annoying the farmers would prove detrimental. With that front taken care of, Goyal also announced the cooperatives will sell onions at a subsidized rate of Rs 25 per kg—reaching out to another chunk of voters, the common man, hit by onion prices (up from Rs 30-35 per kg to Rs 45-60 per kg)after having gone through high tomato prices. The move hopefully should silence the opposition which grabbed the opportunity to hit out saying ‘BJP has always overlooked farmers’ issues. For them, winning elections is the only criterion. The export duty decision has been taken ahead of Assembly elections in several States.”
No Miscarriage of Justice
Seeking to ‘prevent miscarriage of justice’, Madras High Court may have ruling-DMK seeing red. On Wednesday last, taking suo moto notice of a lower court’s acquittal of two senior ministers Thangam Thennarasu and KKSSR Ramachandran and their wives in a disproportionate assets’ case (2006-2011), Justice Anand Venkatesh, holding portfolio for MP/MLA cases, exercised revisional powers ‘smelling a rat’. Quoting Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he said ‘something is very rotten’ in a special court for MP/MLA cases at Srivilluputhur. Quantified as: both orders reveal ‘well-orchestrated pattern’; special court took cognisance of final reports in 2013/14; discharge applications filed; cases adjourned for months/years on end till 2021, when ‘political fortunes smiled at main accused’; they were back as ministers; months later state prosecution ‘very magnanimously’ offered to conduct further probe; end product a ‘closure report tailored’ to support grounds for discharge; special court was presented with a ‘perfect fait accompli’ as prosecution whitewashed its earlier final report and presented ‘a picture of complete innocence”! The cases discharged. Given the list of “illegalities,” the revision promises high drama and suspense. -INFA