The Congress alleged that the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) claims against Bhupesh Baghel were part of a "conspiracy" orchestrated by the BJP to tarnish the Chhattisgarh chief minister's image.
They iterated that the people of the state would provide a fitting response to such tactics in the forthcoming Assembly poll. The opposition party also declared its intention to raise the issue with the Election Commission (EC), as it constituted a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
During a press conference, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh contended that, with the BJP's defeat guaranteed in the Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, the saffron party was misusing central agencies like the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). "The people of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have faith in the Congress. The BJP is engaging in vendetta politics," Ramesh emphasized.
Another prominent Congress leader, K C Venugopal, insisted that there was a clear-cut conspiracy aimed at tarnishing Baghel's reputation, and the people would respond resolutely to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections. Venugopal said, "ED and Income Tax Department are the main weapons of BJP. During the Karnataka Assembly elections, they conducted raids against more than 100 Congress candidates. Eight to nine months have gone past, but there is no follow up about them. The public mood in five states - Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana - is very clear, and Congress will form the government."
"The BJP is heading towards a big defeat (in Chhattisgarh Assembly elections) and the whole world knows about it. Their (BJP-led central government) partnership with the ED is on the rise because they can also sense the defeat," says Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi at the press conference.
On Friday, the ED made claims that a forensic analysis and a statement from a "cash courier" had led to "startling allegations" suggesting that the promoters of the Mahadev betting app had paid approximately Rs 508 crore to Baghel. The BJP, in response, accused the Congress on Saturday of utilizing "hawala" funds brought by illegal betting operators to finance its election campaign in Chhattisgarh and targeted Baghel over the allegation of receiving a kickback exceeding Rs 500 crore.
