“Rabid Dogs”: Congress accuses ED and its “overlords” of conducting raids meant to damage Baghel’s reputation

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) allegations made against Bhupesh Baghel are allegedly part of a “conspiracy” hatched by the saffron party to damage his reputation. The Congress claimed on Saturday that the BJP’s impending defeat in the Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Assembly elections has forced it to use its last resort, the ED, to turn the tide.

Additionally, it claimed that in an attempt to approach Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel, the ED and its “overlords” had ringed his aides like “rabid dogs” and that the state’s electorate would appropriately respond to such methods in the next Assembly election.

The Election Commission (EC) is conducting ED raids during the polling process, when the Model Code of Conduct is in effect. The Congress has said that it would bring up this matter with the EC and asserts that this is a blatant “violation” of the regulations since it creates an unfair playing field. Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Abhishek Singhvi said the party is looking into all legal possibilities at a news conference held at the AICC headquarters here.

Ramesh said that the BJP is abusing federal agencies like the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) because it knows it will lose the Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. “The people of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan believe in the Congress.” “Vengeance politics is being indulged by the BJP,” he said.

In response, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would get a proper response in the next elections, according to K C Venugopal, another prominent member of the Congress party, who said that there is an obvious plot to damage Baghel’s reputation. He also said that the BJP only has one weapon at its disposal—the ED—when it suffers electoral setbacks and feels that its foundation is crumbling.

Venugopal said, “This is a clear-cut conspiracy hatched by the prime minister to tarnish the image of Bhupesh Baghel and the Chhattisgarh government for winning this election.” He claimed that this was all being done because Baghel is an OBC and the Chhattisgarh election will be biased in favor of the Congress. He added that the BJP-led Centre has not taken any action against the betting app’s Dubai-based kingpins, despite the Chhattisgarh government filing 70 FIRs, detaining 450 individuals, seizing multiple cell phones, and seizing cash worth crores from those connected to the Mahadev app scam.

According to Venugopal, the initial complaint was filed on March 30, 2022, and the Chhattisgarh government has blocked bank accounts valued at an estimated Rs 16 crore. He claimed that it also carried out operations in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, and other states to apprehend a number of persons, raising concerns over why the Centre has not detained any of the app’s creators. It’s critical to comprehend how the ED and its rulers operate. The Congress said in a statement that the ED raided the homes of Vinod Verma, the chief minister’s political advisor, Manish Banchor and Ashish Verma, two OSDs, and close friend Vijay Bhatia in an attempt to obtain Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel by any means necessary.

“These raids are mindless, irrational, and driven only by political motives; they break all moral and legal norms. They discovered nothing substantial connecting them or the chief minister to the Mahadev app in spite of these searches, acts of brutal and callous behavior, and thoughtless research. The statement claimed that it was politically motivated from the start. It is obvious that the ED is basing all of these raids on rumors or “so-called” confessions made by some of the individuals who were detained. These politically motivated raids were carried out based on an arrested person’s testimony.

“A chief minister of a state that is about to have elections is being accused by one of the top investigative agencies in the biggest democracy in the world, and this claim is being used as grounds for a trial that will be open to the public and media. The ED’s addition of “subject to investigation” has very neatly prevented them from facing legal action. It all comes down to this: the Mahadev app, which is supported by the BJP, is conducting this probe rather than the ED, according to the statement. Venugopal challenged the Enforcement Department (ED) to prohibit the betting app and arrest the creators of the Mahadev app, Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, arguing that if the ED is so worried about money laundering, it had to stop it at the source.

When asked whether the raids will affect the next elections in any way, he said that voters had already decided they didn’t want the BJP. “We’ll get the largest possible majority. In fact, our majority will grow, Venugopal said. “The ED’s goal is to act with political malice to appease the boss, not to save public money.” Therefore, the ED would continue to take senseless action against the opposition in order to profit politically from the Bharatiya Janata Party, rather than apprehending the masterminds, the statement claimed.

According to Singhvi, the Chhattisgarh Police sent a lookout notice for Uppal and Chandrakar in July after learning that the two state natives are running the app from Dubai. However, the Chhattisgarh government had contacted the Center and its agencies to apprehend the fugitive accused from Dubai owing to the state police’s jurisdictional constraints. Singhvi denounced the searches and said that the federal government, BJP, and ED were fortifying their “partnership, coalition, and cooperation” in the run-up to elections and when the loss of the saffron party was certain.

He stated that while the Chhattisgarh government has asked the appropriate Central authorities to outlaw the Mahadev app and cease all of its activities nationwide, nothing had been done and the app continues to function. “All internet betting in India will now be legal thanks to the Modi-Shah-Sitaraman financial masterclass, which also agreed to impose a 28% GST on these dishonest practices. We believe that the BJP has received funding from the suspected criminal Mahadev app in order for it to remain running, based on the way the app is now functioning. The Congress representative said that the Centre is hesitant to apprehend the app’s creators because of concern that financing may cease, adding that this also gives the BJP a platform to distribute its political propaganda via investigative agencies.

Additionally, he said that the ED skillfully changed the investigation from a criminal case started by the state police to a politically motivated case, and ever then, it has been revolving around politicians, bureaucrats, and other politically connected individuals. According to Singhvi, they have finally achieved their goal, which is to disparage the Chhattisgarh Congress administration and single out Baghel.

At a news conference held on August 24 at the headquarters of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in this city, Ramesh said that Baghel called for the Mahadev app to be banned and the people who use it to be arrested. “It becomes evident how the BJP works with the ED, colludes with them, and uses their agencies for political gain in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan when it publicly defends the agency. The EC has to be aware of this. The Congress administration is still in place, according to Ramesh.

The Mahadev betting app founders have allegedly paid Baghel around Rs 508 crore to far, according to “startling allegations” that the ED said on Friday based on forensic analysis and a statement from a “cash courier.” The ED also stated that these claims are being looked into. Targeting Baghel over the claim that he got bribes totaling over Rs 500 crore, the BJP accused the Congress on Saturday of utilizing “hawala” money smuggled in by illicit betting operators to finance its election campaign in Chhattisgarh.