Uttar Pradesh Congress chief targets BJP over ED raid in Kolkata

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai on Thursday sharpened his attack on the BJP over the Enforcement Directorate’s raid at the I-PAC office in Kolkata, accusing the Central government of misusing probe agencies to intimidate Opposition parties ahead of elections.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Rai said the ED and CBI were functioning at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Amit Shah. “The BJP has kept the ED and CBI like caged parrots. Wherever elections are due, the cage is opened and the parrot is sent there. This is nothing but politics of fear,” Rai said.

Referring to the protest by the Trinamool Congress and the response of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Rai said the raid was part of a deliberate attempt to pressure non-BJP govts. “What happened in Kolkata shows how institutions are being used to threaten political opponents. Mamata Banerjee has stood her ground against this pressure. All democratic forces should stand with her,” he said.

Rai alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was selectively targeting Opposition-ruled states. “Agencies are not being used to fight corruption, they are being used to fix rivals. This is a dangerous trend for democracy,” he added.

Rai also launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh govt over alleged atrocities against the Brahmin community. Addressing a programme organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Mahasabha at the Baba Gomti Das site near Thakurganj Ghas Mandi crossing, he alleged that fake encounters of people from the Brahmin community were taking place under the BJP govt.

He claimed that more than 1,700 Brahmins had been killed in the state over the past nearly 10 years and accused the Yogi govt of ignoring the community.