Raipur (Chhattisgarh): Attacking Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel over an alleged liquor scam, State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Arun Sao on Monday said Chhattisgarh government is acting like an ATM for the Congress.
Addressing the media persons, Sao said, “In 2018, a promise was made to Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh to ban the sale of liquor. Chhattisgarh government is acting like an ATM for the Congress. Several scams took place in Chhattisgarh, be it coal scam, liquor or paddy scam.” He said the BJP repeatedly said that the Congress government in Chhattisgarh is a rule of scam.
Sao said the Bhupesh Baghel government looted the innocent people of Chhattisgarh.
He further alleged that in 800 liquor shops, liquor was sold illegally. The practice not just caused loss to the exchequer but also played with the health of people.
“The link of this scam is connected to the CM House,” Sao said adding that after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids, excise revenue increased by 22 per cent indicating that how the liquor was sold illegally.
He said the corruption was done by forming an organised syndicate,
“The government has become such an expert that a team of Jharkhand government came here to learn about the modus-operandi of this corruption,” alleged the Chhattisgarh BJP chief.
“After this massive corruption, Bhupesh Baghel should quit and we demand this case to be heard in a fast-track court,” added Sao.
A day after the arrest of Anwar Dhebar, brother of Congress leader and Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar, in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, the Enforcement Directorate said on Sunday that it has found evidence of “unprecedented corruption” and money laundering worth Rs 2,000 crores, which was being run with the support of high-level politicians and bureaucrats in the state.
Meanwhile, dubbing the Enforcement Directorate’s claim of unearthing Rs 2,000 crore scam as completely baseless, false and condemnable, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel alleged that the central agency is working like a political agent of BJP and ED’s only task is to provide an advantage to the opposition here in elections.
Addressing the media in Raipur on Monday before leaving for the Mungeli district, “The way elections are inching, the disappointment among BJP is increasing and they are conspiring to defame the state government through the central agency. I have already stated that ED and IT will stay here permanently and as elections get closer, they will hatch new conspiracies.”
CM Baghel further elaborated that the decision to sell liquor in the state through a corporation was taken by the previous Raman Singh-led BJP government.
