"They are about to lose elections...": Chhattisgarh Dy CM targets Smriti Irani over hawala money allegations against Congress
Raipur: Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo on Saturday attacked Union Minister Smriti Irani over her allegations against the Congress of using hawala money from a betting app to fund its poll campaign in Chhattisgarh.
Singh Deo said such allegations from BJP were not unexpected days ahead of the elections in the state and were being made as the ruling party at the Centre will lose the assembly polls. Chhattisgarh will see the first phase of polling on November 7.
"If Smriti Irani has any information or evidence, why is she not presenting it before everyone? Why is she levelling allegations? If she has information but is not bringing it to light, is she too a party to it?...This is the same ED whose officers have huge sums of money at their houses," Singh Deo told ANI.
"We were expecting this to happen right before elections. This is not unexpected. When they are about to lose elections, they are bringing out these things. Even ED's press release has no facts," the Congress leader said.
He said the BJP allegations will not have any impact on elections "because people can see that they are using ED".
Smriti Irani addressed a press conference in Delhi and alleged that Congress is contesting the Chhattisgarh elections using hawala operators.
She made allegations in relation to Enforcement Directorate claims about money sent from UAE by promoters of a betting app.
"The mastermind of the app Shubham Soni, in his written admission, has stated that till now over Rs 500 crore has been given in bribes for political protection by the illegal betting racket, namely the Mahadev Online Book Promoters in Chhattisgarh. Hawala operators, instructions, and money emanating from Dubai have been utilized by the Congress leadership to fund an election," she said.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday claimed they had intercepted a cash courier Asim Das who was sent from the UAE to deliver a large amount of cash for electioneering expenses of the ruling Congress party.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has refuted the ED's claims and said that the BJP wants to contest the upcoming Chhattisgarh polls with the help of its "agencies".
Congress also held a press conference and said the probe is not by ED but by "Mahadev App- funded BJP"
"We have been saying that ED's Mahadev App investigation is politically motivated and yesterday we got proof. One of the premiere investigating agencies of the largest democracy in the world has sent out a press release accusing a Chief Minister of an election bound state and allowing a public and media trial with this accusation. ED has very conveniently saved themselves from legal action by adding 'subject to investigation'. It all adds up to one thing, this investigation is not by ED, but by the Mahadev App funded BJP," Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Abhishek Manu Singhvi said a statement after the joint press conference.
