RAIPUR: Several Congress MLAs were suspended from the Chhattisgarh assembly on Monday after they trooped into its well and shouted slogans against the ruling BJP over the ED's raids on the premises of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of Baghel as part of a money laundering investigation against his son in the alleged liquor scam case, official sources said.
The Congress leaders alleged that the central agencies were being misused to intimidate the Opposition.
The Speaker Dr Raman Singh suspended the entire Congress MLAs, who disrupted the Question Hour, under the assembly rule that stipulates automatic suspension of members who interfere with the proceedings by entering the well of the House.
Singh asked the Congress legislators to raise their issue only during the Zero Hour but the opposition members persisted with their demonstration and despite being suspended they sat in the well of the House.
The Congress leaders ignored the appeal of the Speaker to allow the proceeding of Question Hour.
Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Arun Sao countered the Congress and said that the ED has been pursuing the cases on various scams following the evidence they gathered during their searches as the agency's investigation is continuing for a long in the state.
“During the Congress regime under Baghel, there were several scams reported”, Sao claimed.
The name of Baghel is linked with alleged scams, including Mahadev Book Online Betting App, the coal levy extortion, and the district mineral foundation (DMF) funds that are being investigated by the federal probe agency.
Earlier today, a team of ED arrived at the residence of ex-CM Baghel, who was recently appointed as AICC general secretary incharge of Punjab, to carry out searches. Including the premises of the Baghel, the ED team simultaneously conducted raids at 15 different locations.
The ED estimated that Proceeds of Crime of around Rs 2,161 crore have been generated by the suspects in the alleged liquor scam and Chaitanya is among the suspected recipients.
The Mahadev Online App betting scam:
The Mahadev Betting App is an umbrella syndicate arranging online platforms for enabling illegal betting websites to enroll users, create user IDs and engage in laundering of money through a layered web of ‘banami’ bank accounts.
On February 27, the ED interrogated state Congress general secretary Malkeet Singh Gaidu in Raipur over the capital used for construction of Rajiv Bhawan in south Bastar’s Sukma and Konta. Both places happen to be the native land of former excise minister and a six-time Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, who was arrested by ED in connection with the alleged liquor scam in January this year.