Raipur: In the middle of a series of raids by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department against officers in his government, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday alleged that central agencies were pressuring people to “take his name” and implicate him. With elections in his state less than six months away, Baghel told Hindustan Times in an interview that the charges were trumped up, and that he would not be surprised if he was called for questioning, but expressed confidence that the allegations would have no impact on the polls. Edited excerpts:
Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said that ever since the raids started in 2020, all ED and IT officers who come to Chhattisgarh for raids pressurise people to take my name (HT)
Last week you gave a statement that the Enforcement Directorate is falsely trying to implicate you. On what basis have you levelled this allegation? In 2020, Income Tax raids were carried out for the first time in Chhattisgarh, immediately after the results of the Jharkhand assembly elections were declared. There, the BJP under Amit Shah contested elections under the narrative of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens. It was assumed that the BJP would return to power but the results were entirely against them. In that election, we started talking about the “Chhattisgarh model”, and this annoyed them. What followed were hasty raids in Chhattisgarh by IT sleuths, targeting officers, industrialists and businessmen, especially associated with the liquor business.
The second set of raids happened during the Assam and Uttar Pradesh elections. I think they have no answer for the Chhattisgarh model which is why they want to suppress us. As far as what I said is concerned, ever since the raids started in 2020, all ED and IT officers who come to Chhattisgarh for raids pressurise people to take my name, or my son’s name, or the name of some officers to implicate me. I have even met the governor and expressed my concern on their modus operandi. Now it is on record that an accused in the liquor investigation has told court that a central agency was pressuring him to take my name.
The agencies first spoke of a coal levy scam, and have now submitted a charge sheet in the excise scam which they say is worth ₹ 2,000 crore. There are allegations that excise duty was not paid. First, when they talk of fake bottling or fake holograms, they have not recovered any of these things. These are only stories. Second, was there loss to the exchequer? The current excise policy was made by the Raman Singh government in 2017-18. We did not change it, nor did we change the distillers or suppliers because we wanted to implement a liquor ban because it was in our manifesto. But during the lockdown, we saw that it kept coming in from Haryana or Madhya Pradesh and other states. Many people took to consuming sanitisers or harmful chemicals when they did not find liquor, and died. So we realised it was not feasible to do it in a landlocked state like ours which shares borders with seven states. Most importantly, the excise revenue increased from around ₹1,700 crore in 2018 to around ₹6,400 crore in 2022. So where is the loss?
The alleged coal levy scam has seen people put in jail, including your deputy secretary…
My deputy secretary Saumya Chaurasia has been raided three times by ED and IT since 2020. She is probably the only officer in the country who has been raided so many times. There were no corruption charges on her before these raids. The agencies must tell us what they recovered from her home.
You registered cases of corruption against leaders of the BJP when you came to power, but there have been no arrests. Why? In most cases where we constituted an SIT, the accused approached the high court, either got anticipatory bail or a stay order and since then hearings have not taken place. Due course is being followed.
Why do you say people around you are being targeted then? The biggest reason is that they are failing to discredit the Congress government in Chhattisgarh. We have such a huge majority that they cannot engineer defections. In the last four years, we have made policies for every section of society; whether it is farmers, the youth, adivasis, women or businessmen. A large number of people across caste, gender or region are beneficiaries of our policies. So the BJP is finding it difficult to counter us.
What are the Congress’s plans to counter the BJP narrative that your government is corrupt, particularly after the raids? Your question is based on an allegation of a scam of ₹2,000 crore and the movable and immovable properties they have confiscated do not even total ₹200 crore. In their raids, they are adding immovable property built before 2018. I can reveal to you that ED does not have their own ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) number and they cannot take action without this. ED cannot investigate unless there is a predicted offence. What ED is doing is completely illegal. Recently, a liquor factory owner was caught with jewellery worth ₹26 crore has become ED’s witness.
Do you think that these scams will have an impact on the upcoming elections? No, there will be no effect on the election at all. The public knows everything. Coal transportation did not begin in our government and most coal mines belong to the government of India. There are 52 SECL mines. So if there was a scam related to SECL, then why have SECL employees not been caught, why are they not being questioned?
Are you going to be called for questioning next? The Enforcement Directorate can go to any extent. They have summoned Hemant Soren ji, Kejriwal ji, our national leaders Rahul ji and Sonia ji. Compared to our national leaders, I am a very small man.
Ritesh Mishra is the State Correspondent for Chhattisgarh with Hindustan Times. He reports on Maoism, internal security, politics, mining, governance, and major developments shaping the state. Based in Raipur, he has covered Chhattisgarh since 2016, reporting extensively from the Bastar region and other conflict-affected areas.
With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Ritesh has built a reputation for ground reporting from some of India's most challenging terrains. His coverage spans Left-Wing Extremism, counter-insurgency operations, elections, tribal affairs, environmental issues, infrastructure, mining, and socio-economic developments. He has reported on major security operations, policy initiatives, wildlife crime, and the changing dynamics of conflict and development in Central India.
Before moving to Chhattisgarh, Ritesh spent eight years reporting from Madhya Pradesh, covering politics, administration, crime, development, and social issues. Throughout his career, he has reported on various forms of extremism in Central India, combining field reporting with in-depth analysis to produce accurate, balanced, and impactful journalism.
Prior to joining Hindustan Times, Ritesh worked with The Pioneer and The Free Press Journal, where he covered a wide range of beats and honed his skills in political, investigative, and field reporting.
His reporting is marked by exclusive stories, extensive fieldwork, and a commitment to factual, on-the-ground journalism that brings complex issues to a wider audience.Read More
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