New Delhi: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "unleashing" the central agencies in Rajasthan to "terrorise" the Congress party ahead of the November 25 assembly polls.
Pilot further stated that the BJP is well aware of their impending defeat in the assembly elections, which is why they are carrying out raids without any substantial basis.
His remarks came after ED on Thursday raided the premises of Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra in Jaipur and Sikar as part of a money laundering probe into the exam paper leak case and summoned Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son in a foreign exchange violation case.
Addressing a press conference, Pilot said, "The way central agencies have been unleashed in Rajasthan to terrorise Congress and its leaders is being watched by the people of the state. BJP knows they are losing the assembly elections and that's why they are conducting raids without any substantial basis."
"The actions taken by the agencies of the GoI in Jaipur and other cities today...The timing, purpose and intent of those actions are completely questionable and I am saying this because it is now widely known that the agencies belonging to the GoI are being misused continuously, but just before the election, the way the agencies started working in Rajasthan, this is to intimidate and terrorize the leaders of the Congress party," he added.
Gehlot strongly criticized the actions of the ED and alleged that the BJP was targeting him through ED raids as they could not topple his government.
Hitting back, senior BJP leader and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat dismissed the charge as “baseless” and said Gehlot and other Congress leaders are trying to politicise the probe agency's action out of "frustration".
"Ashok Gehlot is frustrated with action against corruption because his government has broken all limits of corruption. His own party leaders, MLAs, advisor and minister have said that this is the most corrupt government of the century,” he told reporters at a press conference at the BJP headquarters.
Shekhawat said a series of government recruitment exam paper leaks took place in Rajasthan putting the future of lakh of youths in the dark, but the Gehlot government kept on covering up the “corruption” denying involvement of his government “officials and political persons”.
What Govind Singh Dotasra Said?
On ED raids on his properties, Govind Singh Dotasra said, "Officials have come here. They are doing their work. We have no problem. They are taking information and we are giving them information. There is no need to worry. I appeal to you (his supporters) to maintain peace."
Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest outside the Rajasthan ED office against the ED raid at Dotasara's premises in an alleged exam paper leak case.
Rajasthan Sports Council Vice President Satveer Choudhary also reacted to the ED action saying, "It's a black day for democracy the way Modi government has misused investigation agencies. BJP knows that they are nowhere in the elections and their situation is bad on 200 seats. Wrong proceedings are being done against Congress Chief Govind Singh Dotasara and Congress leader Vaibhav Gehlot after targetting them."
The 200-member Rajasthan Assembly will go to polls on November 25 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 3.