Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing central agencies to intimidate Congress leaders in Rajasthan as the state gears up for the assembly elections. Addressing a press conference at Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Pilot expressed his concern over the timing and questioned the intent behind the actions of the federal agencies.
“The actions taken by the agencies of the government of India in Jaipur and other cities today... The timing, purpose, and intent of those actions are completely questionable,” the Congress leader told the press briefing.
He further alleged that the BJP was aware of their declining popularity in the state and was resorting to these tactics to undermine the Congress party's chances in the upcoming assembly elections.
"BJP knows they are losing the assembly elections, and that's why they are conducting raids without any substantial basis," Pilot said.
Emphasizing that the Congress party was against corruption and was in favour of impartial investigations, Pilot said "if someone is found suspicious with proof, then action should be taken against them."
His comments come in the wake of Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the residence of state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra as part of a money laundering probe into the exam paper leak case and summons to chief minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav in a foreign exchange violation case linked to a Mumbai-based firm of hotels and resorts.
In a message to his party workers, Pilot said that they should take inspiration from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}In a message to his party workers, Pilot said that they should take inspiration from Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
{{/usCountry}}"We should take inspiration from Rahul Gandhi. Various cases were lodged against him; he was summoned time and again by the ED and he appeared before them. So Congress has nothing to fear. We will fight the election with full force and win," he said.
Gehlot flayed the ED action, saying terror has been unleashed in the country. He alleged 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.