In a reassurance to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel whose government is facing ED raids, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said governments in India cannot be changed through intimidation by ED, CBI and Income Tax, and bags full of money.
Addressing party delegates on the second day of the grand old party’s 85th plenary session, Kharge said that the governments in India can only be changed through votes but not by intimidating the Opposition governments through ED, CBI and Income Tax and bags full of currency notes. Slamming the Narendra Modi led NDA government at the centre,
Recounting how the BJP is allegedly using agencies like CBI against Opposition parties to disturb the plenary session, he said, “The Central government has let loose the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chhattisgarh, raided our leaders, arrested some of them, but we managed to make the convention successful,” the Congress president said.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has for long maintained that the BJP cannot fight on its own in Chhattisgarh, that’s why it is using the Central agencies to dislodge his government.
The ED sleuths raided prominent leaders of the party in Chhattisgarh barely a week before the summit. What’s intriguing is that those raided, arrested, interrogated and incarcerated are considered to be close to CM Bhupesh Baghel who enjoys support of the party leadership.
Kharge further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of surrendering to the Chinese as he maintained a studied silence on the aggression in Ladakh by the neighbouring country. He also flayed the BJP and the RSS for allegedly flaring up the atmosphere of hatred and violence against the minorities and Dalits across the country.
Hinting at a greater Opposition unity to put up a united front against the BJP and RSS, Kharge exhorted the non-BJP parties to close ranks with the grand old party.
Lambasting the Central government, the Congress president claimed that the NDA was out on a spree to sell public assets.