Rajasthan Chief Minister accuses BJP of targeting Congress leaders ahead of assembly polls

Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided the premises of state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra in Jaipur and Sikar and the premises of party candidate from Mahua seat in Dausa, Omprakash Hudla as part of a money laundering probe into the alleged exam paper leak case. They also summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son in a foreign exchange violation case.

Jaipur (Rajasthan):In a strongly worded statement, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan lashed out at the BJP-led Union government for the recent actions taken by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against prominent Congress leaders in the state.

Gehlot alleged that the BJP was deliberately trying to hinder the benefits promised by the Congress to women, farmers, and the poor of Rajasthan in the run-up to the upcoming Assembly elections. This statement came in the wake of ED raids on state Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and the summons issued to Gehlot's son, Vaibhav Gehlot, in connection with alleged violations of foreign exchange rules.

Expressing his concern about the credibility of central agencies, Gehlot remarked, "Central agencies have no credibility now. It is a worrying situation. This is not about my son or the state Congress president. Atank macha rakha hai desh mein (they have spread terror in the country)."

The ED's raid on Govind Singh Dotasra's premises without prior notice raised eyebrows and led to speculation about the political implications of the move. Gehlot defended Dotasra's dedication to the Congress party, stating, "ED raids against Govind Singh Dotasra have big political ramifications. He has worked tirelessly for the Congress."

Regarding the summons issued to his son, Vaibhav Gehlot, the Chief Minister questioned the legitimacy of the notice, saying, "Is this a joke?" He emphasized that Vaibhav had no involvement in foreign exchange transactions and urged that such actions were part of a larger political ploy by the BJP. Despite the ED's actions, Gehlot remained unfazed and assured that the Congress party was not worried or intimidated by these developments. He boldly stated that these events would ultimately backfire on the BJP.

The ED's actions were taken in connection with the Rajasthan paper leak case, which raised further questions about their timing and intent. The agency also summoned Vaibhav Gehlot for alleged violations of foreign exchange regulations. These actions sparked immediate political reactions and accusations from the Congress camp.

Gehlot took to social media, posting a message in Hindi that highlighted the timing of these events in the context of the Congress's recent promises for women in Rajasthan. He stated, "Date 25/10/23: Congress launches guarantees for women of Rajasthan. Date 26/10/23: ED raid on Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Ji Dotasra. Summon to my son Vaibhav Gehlot to appear before ED." Gehlot used this timing to imply that the ED's actions were a deliberate attempt to thwart the Congress's efforts to empower women in the state.

As part of the Congress's election campaign promises, Gehlot pledged two significant guarantees to the people of Rajasthan if the party is elected to power. These promises included providing cooking gas cylinders to over one crore families for a mere Rs 500 and an annual honorarium of Rs 10,000 to the woman heading a family.

The Congress party's high command also joined the chorus of criticism against the BJP for the ED's actions. Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP of turning ED, CBI, and the Income Tax Department into their election machinery, likening them to the BJP's "panna pramukh," which involves a door-to-door approach to reach voters.

Kharge remarked, "Seeing its certain defeat in Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party made its last throw of the dice! After Chhattisgarh, the ED has also entered the election campaign in Rajasthan and started action against Congress leaders." He further criticized the Modi government's perceived authoritarian tendencies, saying, "The dictatorship of the Modi government is fatal for democracy. We will continue to fight against the misuse of agencies, and the public will give a befitting reply to the BJP."