Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday launched raids at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh including the office of Congress Treasurer Ram Gopal Agarwal in connection with alleged money laundering case linked to coal levy scam, sources said. Sources said that ED sleuths showed up at the office of Congress Treasurer Ram Gopal Agarwal at Gore Complex, Civil Line in the early hours of Tuesday and started searches.
Raids were also launched at the house of Mahasamund MLA and Parliamentary Secretary Vinod Sevan Lal Chandrakar. Besides, the raids were also conducted at the premises of businessmen Kamal Sharda in Shakti Nagar of Raipur and the house of Suresh Bandhe, who deals in real estate. The fresh raids come over a month after the ED raided the premises of many Congress leaders in the state.
Also read: ED raids leave Chhattisgarh's main Congress leaders fuming
The Feb. 20 raids were conducted at the premises of Labor Department Chairman Sunny Agarwal, Bhilai MLA Devendra Yadav, Bilaigarh MLA Chandradev Rai, Congress state treasurer Ram Gopal Agarwal, Congress spokesperson RP Singh, Congress leader Girish Dewangan and Congress youth leader Vinod Tiwari.
The Congress has termed the ED raids in Chhattisgarh as a “political vendetta” and a ploy to divert attention from the opposition's demand to hold a JPC on the Adani row. The raids on the Congress leaders in Feb. came days ahead of the 85th plenary of the Congress's central decision making body in which around 15000 delegates participated.
The plenary was held from Feb. 24-26 in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur. The ED raids are being held in Chhattisgarh in connection with the alleged coal levy scam in the state. IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, businessman Sunil Agrawal, Laxmikant Tiwari and his nephew and kingpin Suryakant Tiwari have been arrested in the case.
