Raipur: Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted raids at the premises of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma and two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) here.
Mr Baghel himself disclosed this when he, in a sarcastic post in X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, said, “Respected Prime Minister and Mr Amit Shah! Thank you very much for the priceless gift you have presented to me on my birthday by sending ED to my political advisor, OSD and close aides”.
The chief minister celebrated his 63rd birthday on Wednesday by cutting a 150 ft-long cake, featuring birthday messages and his government’s achievements, here.
Mr Modi and Mr Shah have wished him on the occasion.
The ED sleuths conducted raids at the official residence of Verma in the officers colony at the Devendra Nagar here.
Sources said that the searches continued till the last report came.
Similarly, ED conducted raids at the premises of Mr Baghel’s OSDs, Ashish Verma and Manish Bachore, in Bhilai, nearly 35 km from Raipur.
The ED raids were still in progress in their houses, sources said.
Sources said that the ED also searched the house of businessman Vijay Bhatia in Durg in Madhya Pradesh.
The ED was yet to make it public as to in which cases the raids were conducted at the premises of the close aides of the chief minister.
Sources said that searches have been conducted by ED at several places in Raipur and Durg in the last two days reportedly in connection with the online betting operations.
Congress has strongly reacted to the ED raids at the premises of Mr Baghel’s close aides, saying that the Baghel government would not be bogged down by such ‘threats’.
“The ongoing ED raids in Chhattisgarh are a clear reaction to the pre-poll surveys that have predicted a massive rout for the BJP. Our pro-people Congress government will not get bogged down by such threats. We have the power of people behind us”, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera said in a post in X.
The ED has been probing different cases in Chhattisgarh relating to alleged coal scam, liquor scam, irregularities in District Mineral Foundation Fund and an online betting application.
At least half-a-dozen people including three IAS officers of Chhattisgarh have been sent to judicial custody recently following raids in their houses by the ED in connection with the alleged coal and liquor scams.
