Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday challenged the BJP government at the Centre, saying if it has courage it should install cameras and live telecast the questioning of Congress president Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
Addressing a protest organized by the Congress in front of the ED office in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur, he accused the BJP of misusing central agencies against opposition parties.
The ED questioned Mrs Gandhi in New Delhi for over two hours in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. She has been summoned again on July 25. The ED action against Mrs Gandhi invited strong reaction from the Congress which staged street protests across the country during which party leaders also courted arrest.
Speaking in local language Chhattisgarhi, Mr Baghel said, "They (ED) should install cameras in the room where they were questioning Sonia Gandhi and share its links to all news channels or allow news channels' cameras inside the room. The country wants to know their questions and replies by Gandhi." "If the BJP government at the Centre has courage, then let the ED put cameras at the place where Sonia Gandhi is being questioned. Do you have that kind of courage? The country wants to know where scam has taken place (in the National Herald case)," Mr Baghel asked.
The Congress leader said the Modi government has been harassing a 75-year-old woman (Mr Gandhi) who is in poor health by letting the ED summon her to its office.
ED officials could have taken a written statement from the Congress president instead of calling her to the office, the CM said.
He further asked "Why don't ED officials take action against Chhattisgarh's former chief minister Raman Singh who faced allegations of corruption." State Congress chief Mohan Markam, party MLAs and senior leaders took part in the protest.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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