When ED comes, IT goes, IT comes, ED goes, says Baghel on raids

A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on premises linked to his political advisor and two officers on special duty (OSD), Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel launched a scathing attack on the Modi government and the BJP.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, Baghel said the purpose of the ED raid was to defame and destabilise his government.

“Vinod Verma serves as my political advisor. He is also involved in chalking out strategies for the party… He also overlooks the training programme in the state. If Vinod Verma is disturbed, our programmes will be disturbed, they know,” said Baghel.

The ED on Wednesday conducted a search at the residence of Verma pertaining to a case against Mahadev App — an online gaming platform that allegedly cheated people, totting up transactions close to Rs 5,000 crore.

“ED confiscates mobiles and seizes jewellery, cash and bank accounts. Then they keep the whole family hostage for several days and ask political questions. First, income tax conducted raids, then ED came. Their aim is only to defame the government,” added Baghel.

Predicting that a team of 250 IT people would will conduct raids before the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Baghel added, “When ED comes, IT goes, when IT comes, ED goes. The same sequence is going on here.”

Asked why the ED does not conduct raids on BJP leaders, Baghel quipped, “BJP leaders issue statements, then ED conducts raids…”

Earlier in the day, Verma addressed the media in Raipur and said that the ED team committed “dacoity” at his house on Wednesday, and claimed the ED was "lying" when it said that a prime accused in the Mahadev online gaming app case was related to him.

The ED has also alleged that OSD ASI Chandrabhushan Verma and Satish Chandrakar were receiving hefty sums of money from the Dubai-based promoters of Mahadev. Of the two, Chandrabhushan Verma has been arrested by the ED.