Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, said on Saturday that his son, Chaitanya, has not been asked to meet with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about a liquor scam connected to a money laundering case. Baghel’s comments come after reports suggested that Chaitanya was supposed to appear on Saturday to give his statement.
Reporters gathered outside Baghel’s home in Bhilai and the ED office in Raipur since morning. When asked if Chaitanya would go to the ED office, Bhupesh Baghel said there was no reason to go if his son didn’t get a notice first. He added that they would follow the rules once a summons was officially given.
Speaking to reporters outside his house, Baghel expressed that the ED is just trying to create media attention and that he believes the agency is being used to harm people’s reputations. He mentioned past allegations against himself that were cleared by the court, calling these efforts a conspiracy by the BJP to discredit politicians.
On March 10, the ED had conducted searches at Baghel’s home as part of their investigation into a money laundering case involving his son and the liquor scam. Searches also took place at 13 other locations connected to a person close to Chaitanya. During these raids, the ED reportedly seized about Rs 30 lakh in cash and some documents.
Following the raids, there were rumors that the ED summoned Chaitanya for questioning on Saturday. Baghel, who was home during the searches, claimed these actions from the ED were due to the BJP’s frustration. On March 11, the Congress party protested by burning effigies of the BJP-led government and the ED. The ED claims the liquor scam caused the state to lose a lot of money and enriched members of a liquor syndicate by more than Rs 2,100 crore.
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