Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai denied that the state administration had anything to do with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches at the home of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, claiming that the federal agency was carrying out the operation.

“Everyone is aware that there were numerous scams during the Congress government, and central agencies are looking into them,” said Vishnu Deo Sai. Some are already incarcerated, while others are preparing to be incarcerated. The state is not involved in the investigation; it is being carried out by a central agency.

Arun Sao, the deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh, had earlier questioned how it is possible to deny that there were significant frauds under Bhupesh Baghel’s administration and that the searches weren’t an unexpected move.

“How can one deny that there have been significant scams during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure?” said Arun Sao. Action by the ED has been ongoing for a while. It’s not that anything unexpected happened today. ED has been looking into this for a while. If you have no involvement, there should be no cause for alarm or fear. The ED has taken this step because of certain facts and suspicions that were discovered throughout the investigation.

According to reports, as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the home of Bhupesh Baghel, a former chief minister of Chhattisgarh and a prominent member of the Congress party, his son Chaitanya Baghel, and others on Monday.

The issue involves alleged irregularities in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh, including suspected illicit commissions and money laundering. Raids are now taking place at 14 sites around the state.

According to ED sources, the properties under search are connected to Bhupesh Baghel, his son Chaitanya Baghel, and Chaitanya Baghel’s close acquaintances.

Chaitanya Baghel has also been accused by the ED of being a “recipient of proceeds of crime generated from the liquor scam wherein total proceeds of crime are around Rs 2,161 crore siphoned off through various schemes.”

In response, Bhupesh Baghel’s office posted, X: “Today, the guests of the ED visited the Bhilai house of former Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning after the court rejected the fake case that had been pending for seven years. There is a misconception that someone is attempting to use this plot to derail the Congress in Punjab.

In support of Bhupesh Baghel, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that the ED was acting like Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s favorite dog.

“We all know that ED has turned into the pet dog of Union HM Amit Shah and PM Modi,” Manickam Tagore said. This dog may be sent wherever they want. These struggles have been waged by Bhupesh Baghel, who has been a powerful leader for the Congress. He has the support of the Chhattisgarh people and the Congress party. We are all aware that the BJP’s and RSS’s false narratives will be disproved.

Based on particular information, several ED teams began the search operation early Monday.

According to the ED, between 2019 and 2022, a cartel comprising politicians, government officials, and liquor industry professionals operated a scheme that unlawfully earned around Rs 2,161 crore from the state’s booze sales. A cartel allegedly controlled the distribution and sale of alcohol via government-run stores, manipulating the liquor supply chain.

According to allegations, bribes were paid to suppliers to permit the sale of alcohol outside of the law, and a percentage of the alcohol sold was not recorded in official records.

A previous report from the Income Tax Department that identified anomalies in the liquor trade served as the basis for the inquiry.

Several important suspects have been taken into custody by the ED, including liquor entrepreneur Anwar Dhebar, the mayor of Raipur’s brother, and IAS official Anil Tuteja.

In the past, the agency has carried out a number of raids, notably on officials and politicians connected to the former Chhattisgarh government run by the Congress.