Union Minister Smriti Irani accused the Chhattisgarh chief minister of indulging in a game of betting while being in the power.
Union Minister Smriti Irani (Photo:ANI)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is the latest Opposition leader to have come under the Enforcement Directorate scanner after the probe agency claimed a courier told its investigators that the Mahadev betting app owners made payments of worth Rs 508 crore to Baghel. The ED has sought the remand of the courier and told the court that his claims need to be corroborated by the agency.
Following the development, the BJP has launched an all-out attack against the Congress party and its Chhattisgarh chief minister. Addressing a press conference over the issue, Union Minister Smriti Irani Saturday alleged that the Congress party was using hawal money to fund its election campaign in Chhattisgarh.
“Congress is fighting Chhattisgarh election with the help of hawala operators. Shocking that we have use of hawala operation, illicit money through illegal betting to fund Congress campaign,” Irani said at a press conference.
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She accused the Congress party of playing the “game of betting ” while being in power and said that people have not seen such “evidence” in the country’s electoral history.
“Never before in our electoral history have people seen such evidence. Satta (power) me rah kar satta (betting) ka khel khela hai (he has played the game of betting while being in power),” she added.
Reacting to the ED claims, the Congress has accused the BJP of using central probe agencies to target its leader head of the Assembly elections. Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases with the first phase voting scheduled to be held on November 7 and the second on November 17.
This is a clear-cut conspiracy to tarnish Bhupesh Baghel’s image. People will give befitting reply,” Congress said on the charges of using Hawala funds.
Earlier, Enforcement Directorate raided Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra in connection with an alleged paper leak scam. Besides Dotasra, the ED officials also issued a summon to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s sin Vaibhav.
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