NEW DELHI, Nov 3 : The Congress on Friday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and Income Tax Department were “campaigners” and “frontline warriors” of the BJP who are given “targets” to scare opposition leaders and make them join the ruling party.
The opposition party’s attack at the Modi government came a day after the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested an Enforcement Directorate officer and his associate for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh for settling a matter related to a chit fund case.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the officials who are responsible for stopping corruption are themselves taking bribes.
“In Rajasthan, two ED officers have been caught red-handed taking bribe of Rs 15 lakh to hush up a chit fund case,” Khera said.
“Modi government should make the rate list of Enforcement Directorate public,” he said.
If the rate list of small level officers is Rs 15 lakh, then what will be the rate of officers above them, Khera asked.
He alleged that the ED, CBI and IT department all are “government campaigners” of BJP.
“They are given targets to scare the opposition leaders and make them join the BJP. This is (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji’s toolkit,” he alleged.
Khera asserted that the Congress wants the investigating agencies of the country to remain powerful and fearless.
“As long as the leaders are in the opposition, they are corrupt… but as soon as they join BJP, they become clean. We want to tell the Modi government that you should strengthen these agencies, not make them helpless,” he said.
The Anti Corruption Bureau, while doing its work fearlessly, caught ED officers taking bribes in Rajasthan, he said and alleged that the BJP government is trampling impartial institutions.
This is a serious threat facing the country, Khera asserted.
He alleged that in non-BJP ruled states, they send their “frontline warriors” to “threaten and intimidate” leaders.
Those arrested by the Rajasthan ACB are Naval Kishor Meena, an enforcement officer in the federal probe agency and resident of Vimalpura in Jaipur district, and Babulal Meena, a junior assistant in the Mundawar Sub-Registrar Office in the newly formed Kotpulti-Behror district of Rajasthan, the bureau said in a statement.
In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that it has suspended Naval Kishor and initiated a money laundering probe against him and the other accused.
The Congress has been alleging that the ED action against opposition leaders was “politically motivated”.
Centre using investigating agencies to settle ‘political enmity
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the Central government of using central investigative agencies like ED and the Income Tax department to settle “political enmity”.
While talking to reporters during the nomination of Congress MLA Ramesh Meena in Sapotra, Gehlot said, “CBI, Income Tax and ED are important for the country. You (Centre) should use these agencies to catch criminals but instead, they are being used to settle political enmity.” “You are harassing political leaders across the country and toppling governments by intimidation. This is not fair,” he said.
While addressing the ‘Congress Guarantee Samvad’ programme from Deeg, Gehlot said “fascist forces” are trying to destroy the democratic system.
“The act of toppling elected governments by the BJP is condemnable,” the chief minister said.
“Elected governments were toppled in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and Madhya Pradesh but they could not succeed in Rajasthan, hence an atmosphere of fear is being created by misusing ED and Income Tax,” he said.
Gehlot said in the last five years in Rajasthan, commendable work has been done in various fields including education and health. Due to this, today Rajasthan has become a topic of discussion across the country. (PTI)