Written by Mukesh Ranjan
The Congress on Friday lashed out at the BJP alleging that the country’s top investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Income Tax Department have become the real “campaigners” and “frontline warriors” of the ruling party. It also alleged that these agencies were given “targets” to scare opposition leaders and force them to join the BJP.
Incidentally the Congress launched the scathing attack against the Modi government a day after the Rajasthan’s Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested an ED officer and his associate for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh for settling a matter related to a chit fund case.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress’ media and publicity department chief Pawan Khera said the officials, who are responsible for stopping corruption are themselves taking bribes.
“In Rajasthan, two ED officers have been caught red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 15 lakh to hush up a chit fund case,” Khera said, adding: “Modi government should make the rate list of ED officials public.” He went on to ask if the rate list of small level officers is Rs 15 lakh, then what will be the rate of officers above them.
Alleging that the ED, CBI and IT department all are “government campaigners” of BJP, Khera said, “They are given targets to scare the opposition leaders and force them to join the BJP. This is (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji’s toolkit.”
The opposition leader, however, asserted that the Congress wanted the investigating agencies of the country to remain powerful and fearless.
“As long as the leaders are in the opposition, they are corrupt… but as soon as they join the BJP, they become clean. We want to tell the Modi government that you should strengthen these agencies, not make them helpless,” he said.
The Rajasthan ACB, while doing its work fearlessly, caught ED officers taking bribes in the state, he said and alleged that the BJP government is trampling impartial institutions, which is a serious threat that the country is facing now.
Those arrested by the Rajasthan ACB are Naval Kishor Meena, an enforcement officer in the federal probe agency and resident of Vimalpura in Jaipur district, and Babulal Meena, a junior assistant in the Mundawar Sub-Registrar Office in the newly formed Kotpulti-Behror district of Rajasthan, the bureau said in a statement.
In a statement, the ED said that it has suspended Naval Kishor and initiated a money laundering probe against him and the other accused.
