Enforcement Directorate raid on Baba Siddique's premises political vendetta by BJP, says Congress

Mumbai: The Congress accused the BJP of pursuing “vendetta politics” after the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on the premises of party leader and ex-minister Baba Siddique in a money laundering probe related to an alleged Rs 400 crore slum rehabilitation irregularities case.

State Congress unit spokesperson Sachin Sawant alleged the ruling BJP is using central investigation agencies to “intimidate” Opposition parties.

“Police had submitted a ‘B’ summary to the Bandra court last year itself stating the complaints received against Siddique and 157 others were false. It is surprising that the state police has found nothing against him and the Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids,” Sawant told reporters.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at about seven locations, including on premises of Siddique , a real estate firm and a builder connected to him.

Terming the ED action a “clear-cut example of vendetta politics,” Sawant said the BJP government is using investigation agencies to “intimidate” the Opposition, but such tactics will yield no results.

In an apparent reference to the searches conducted by the CBI at the homes and offices of former finance minister P Chidambaram’s son Karti recently in four cities in a tax probe case, Sawant said, “A pattern can be seen in which the Opposition is being harassed and intimidated through the ED or the CBI. The government is trying all it can to damage the Opposition’s image and suppress its voice, he alleged. “All this will yield no results,” he said.

He said such raids are a “tactic” to divert attention from the government’s “failure” on various fronts and to scare the Opposition.

“However, we will not deter and keep raising our voice for people,” the Congress leader said.