Chhattisgarh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State President and Member of Parliament Arun Sao and BJP National Vice-President Dr Raman Singh countered the Congress’s allegations of BJP’s alleged intention to soil the Congress National Convention by prompting Enforcement Directorate raids, saying ED raids are based on solid pieces of evidence and BJP got nothing to do with it.

Taking a jibe, Arun Sao said Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel earlier said that ED raids were intended to destabilise the State Government and then he said the raids were targeting the opposition. Now, they have come up with a fresh excuse for ED raids intended to disrupt the Congress National Convention. None of these claims is true.

ED collected a dossier of evidence in previous searches and the charge sheets filed in the Coal Scam contain many names of top state government officials. The bail applications of many of those arrested by ED got rejected owing to the solid evidence. In such a condition, it’s expected of Congress and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to stand with citizens instead of corrupt officials. But, Congress and Chief Minister have been showing solidarity with the tainted officials Addressing a press conference, Dr Raman Singh stated their desperation was obvious as nine cabinet ministers and even the national in-charge turned up at the press conference in response to the ED search operations. But, the Congress leaders didn’t utter a single word for the two Jawans killed by Naxals in Rajnandgaon. Once outsiders came to see progress in Chhattisgarh, but now they only talk about ED raids. Congress leaders alleged BJP was frustrated by Bharat Jodo Yatra, but how can BJP be concerned with Bharat Jodo Yatra when Rahul Gandhi didn’t arrive in Chhattisgarh, Dr Raman Singh asked.

Congress Chhattisgarh In-charge Kumari Selja is in Raipur, but she didn’t speak about the brutal assault on a minor girl on the roads of the Capital city. Selja claimed the Union Government oppressed journalists, but she forgot to talk about Congress-led Chhattisgarh Government’s atrocities on journalists who were thrown into jail and their houses razed. Dr Raman Singh also reiterated that BJP got no hand in ED searches and recalled that once Bhupesh Baghel and TS Singhdeo had written to the Union Government for action against officials involved in the PDS scam, but after coming to power the same officials became their favourites. Congress Government is just sitting on PDS scams for the past four and a half years. Sometimes, Congress leaders say ED is compromised and other times, they write a letter to the NIA to investigate the targeted killings of BJP leaders. This double-speak wouldn’t work anymore, Dr Raman Singh asserted.