New Delhi [India], July 19 (ANI): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday criticised the central government over the arrest of Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's son, Chaitanya Baghel, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), accusing the move of being a 'tactic' to suppress the voice of the people and 'oppress' the opposition.

Priyanka, the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, in a post on X, claimed that the government has dedicated all the forests of Chhattisgarh to Gautam Adani, the Chairman of the Adani Group.

She alleged that the ED raided Bhupesh Baghel's house and arrested his son to stop the former from raising this issue in the state assembly.

'The BJP government has dedicated all the forests of Chhattisgarh to Adani ji. The forests are being destroyed, blatantly violating the PESA law and NGT directives. Former Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel ji was about to raise this issue in the assembly. To stop him, the ED raided his house early in the morning and arrested his son,' the Congress leader said.

Lashing out at the central government, Priyanka said, 'Over the past 11 years, the country has clearly understood that these are tactics to suppress the voice of the people and oppress the opposition. But it is impossible to suppress the truth or intimidate the opposition with such tactics. Every single Congress worker stands firmly with Baghel ji.'

https://x.com/priyankagandhi/status/1946410032922292236

Earlier on Friday, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Chaitanya Baghel, the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam in the state, officials confirmed.

The action comes a few hours after the agency carried out raids at Chaitanya's residence in Chhattisgarh. The searches were part of the agency's broader crackdown on suspected money laundering and irregularities linked to the multi-crore scam.

Following the raids, Bhupesh Baghel's office posted on X that the ED has arrived. Today is the last day of the Assembly session. The issue of trees being cut in Tamnar for Adani was supposed to be raised today. 'Saheb' has sent the ED to the Bhilai residence.'

This comes months after the agency in March this year seized Rs 30 lakh recovered from the residence of Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya.

The amount was recovered during a day-long search operation conducted at a total of 14 locations across Chhattisgarh in the case pertains to alleged irregularities in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh, involving suspected illegal commissions and money laundering.

ED has gathered that Chaitanya Baghel is also a 'recipient of proceeds of crime generated from the liquor scam wherein the total proceeds of crime are around Rs 2,161 crore syphoned off through various schemes.

Reacting to the raid, Bhupesh Baghel's office posted on 'X', saying, 'When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in the court, today the guests of ED entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning. If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding.'

The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians, and liquor businessmen ran a scheme that illegally collected around Rs 2,161 crore from the sale of liquor in the state between 2019 and 2022. The alleged scam involved manipulation of the liquor supply chain, where a cartel controlled the sale and distribution of alcohol through government-run shops.

A portion of liquor sold was not accounted for in official records, and bribes were allegedly collected from suppliers to allow its sale outside the legal system.

The investigation is based on an earlier Income Tax Department report, which flagged irregularities in the liquor trade.

Earlier, the ED had arrested several key accused, including IAS officer Anil Tuteja and liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur's mayor.

The agency had earlier conducted multiple raids, including on politicians and bureaucrats linked to the previous Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh. (ANI)