Congress Office, Ex-Minister's Property Worth Rs 6 Crore Seized In Chhattisgarh
Raipur:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties worth over Rs 6 crore, including assets belonging to former state excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and his son as well as the Congress Bhawan in Sukma. The development comes amid an ongoing probe into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
According to the probe agency, properties worth Rs 5.5 crore linked to the former minister and his son Harish Lakhma have been seized, while assets worth Rs 65 lakh associated with the Congress office in Sukma have also been attached. The total value of the attached properties stands at Rs 6.15 crore.
Kawasi Lakhma and his son are currently in jail in connection with the alleged Rs 2,161 crore liquor scam, which is under investigation by the central agency. The scam reportedly took place between 2019 and 2022, during the tenure of the Congress-led government under then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. Lakhma served as the state's excise minister during that period.
Congress's media in-charge Sushil Anand Shukla alleged political vendetta. "The ED is working under pressure from the PM Modi government. This is a politically motivated conspiracy. Congress will present an account of every rupee spent on its party offices," he said, adding that Congress Bhawans have been built with the support of workers since pre-independence. "Does ED have the courage to probe BJP's Rs 150 crore office?" he asked.
BJP spokesperson Kedar Gupta welcomed the ED's action, claiming it exposed the deep-rooted corruption under the previous Congress regime. "This is the first time in India's history that the office of a political party has been attached for being built on the foundation of corruption," he said.
The liquor scam involves alleged illegal commissions, cartelisation, and irregularities in liquor sales and distribution in Chhattisgarh. The scam allegedly operated between 2019 and 2022, with proceeds routed through various shell companies and middlemen. ED arrested Kawasi Lakhma on January 15 after multiple rounds of interrogation. Prior to his arrest, the agency had raided his premises on December 28 last year and questioned him on January 3 and 9.
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