Raids on Chidambaram vindictive politics to shut up Opposition: MP Congress

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress on Tuesday reacted sharply to the CBI and IT raids in the residences of former Union ministers P.Chidambaram and Lalu Prasad Yadav.

“This is vindictive revenge politics with the motive of not just targeting but intimidating the Opposition parties,” said state Congress spokesman KK Mishra. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly targeting Opposition leaders who have spoken against him and his policies. The CBI is being misused in a conspiracy to shut-up opposition leaders.”

On Tuesday, IT department raided 22 locations in New Delhi and NCR. Some of these locations are companies that allegedly are involved in a Rs 1000 crore benami land deals linking RJD supremo Lalu Yadav’s children including his two minister sons in the Bihar government.

CBI, meanwhile, started its own early morning raids in the residence of former Home and finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti. Raids were conducted in a dozen more places as part of a probe in a case of suspected misconduct in government approvals for foreign investments.

“If PM Modi is so steadfastly working against corruption, then why did the BJP reinstate former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa into the party?” asked KK Mishra. “In 2011, the BJP had asked Yeddyurappa to quit as chief minister because of the corruption charges against him. Because the party lost the elections in 2013 projecting others as chief minister, to win 2018 BJP has decided to bring back Yeddyurappa.”

Congress leaders also alleged that the CBI was working as an “agent” of PM Modi. “On the one hand, the CBI is raiding the residence of former finance minister P Chidambaram and on the other, it is sheltering chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the Vyapam irregularities. This exposes the dual character of the CBI and the political conspiracy that it has become part of.”