ED arrests ex-Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel's son in liquor scam case
_vb_68.jpeg)
Raipur, Jul 18 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Chaitnaya Baghel, son of senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, in an alleged liquor scam linked money laundering case, official sources said.
He was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after fresh raids were carried out at his home in Bhilai town in Durg district. The father-son duo reside at the same place.
A heavy posse of police personnel was seen outside the house, even as some party supporters gathered.
The senior Baghel said it was Chaitanya's birthday today.
The sources said Chaitnaya Baghel was arrested under section 19 of the anti-money laundering as he was allegedly not cooperating during the searches that came about following receipt of fresh evidence in the case. He is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court in Raipur where the ED will seek his custody for interrogation.
Sources said companies allegedly linked to Chaitanya Baghel were the "recipient" of about Rs 17 crore "proceeds of crime" that were generated from the alleged liquor scam. Funds worth about Rs 1,070 crore are under the scanner of the agency vis-a-vis the role of junior Baghel, as per the sources.
The ED has claimed that the "scam" resulted in a "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over Rs 2,100 crore.
Bhupesh Baghel, 63, posted a message on X saying the ED has come to his home on the last day of the assembly session when the issue of trees being felled for a coal mine project of the Adani group in Tamnar tehsil of Raigarh district was to be raised. "Today is the last day of the state legislative (monsoon) session. The issue of trees being felled for Adani in Tamnar was scheduled to be raised (in the House). Saheb has sent ED to Bhilai Niwas," the message posted by his office said.
The senior Baghel earlier this month visited the tehsil and extended support to local villagers who have been protesting against tree felling for a coal mine project in the area.
The mine is allotted to Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MAHAGENCO), which has contracted the MDO (mine developer cum operator) to the Adani group.
The former CM also said central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders, but he trusts the judiciary and will cooperate with them.
Congress MLAs also boycotted the proceedings of the Chhattisgarh assembly for the day as a mark of protest against the arrest and accused the agency of trying to harass the opposition.
The federal probe agency had conducted similar raids against Chaitanya Baghel on March 10.
In this case, the ED in January arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma besides Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of this investigation. The alleged liquor scam in the central Indian state, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.
Assets worth about Rs 205 crore of various accused have been attached by the agency as part of this investigation so far. In 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the ED's first ECIR (FIR) in this case, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department.
The federal agency later filed a fresh case after it asked the Chhattisgarh EOW/ACB to file a fresh FIR against the accused based on material shared by the anti-money laundering agency.
The EOW/ACB registered the FIR on January 17 last year, about a month after the BJP defeated the incumbent Congress government in the 2023 assembly polls, and named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, former chief secretary Vivek Dhand and others.
According to the ED, the alleged commission generated through the illegal sale of liquor was shared "as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong slams Modi govt as 'anti-worker', calls for review of new Labour code
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.
On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.
"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.
The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.
"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.
The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.
Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.
The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.
"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.
The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.
The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.
He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.
Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.
"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.
