ED 'distributing' money during elections: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot
Jodhpur, Nov 5: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday accused the Enforcement Directorate of "transporting" money for "distribution" during the assembly polls.
While making the charge, however, Gehlot did not elaborate on his allegation.
"This is the first time that elections and ED raids are going on simultaneously in the country. ED is transporting money for distributing it in these elections and the Election Commission of India should intervene in this matter," the chief minister said.
The ED recently claimed that a forensic analysis and a statement made by a 'cash courier' have led to "startling allegations" that the promoters of the 'Mahadev' betting app paid about Rs 508 crore to the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Baghel refuted the allegations and dubbed the ED's press note levelling the charge as the BJP's second election manifesto.
Gehlot was talking to media persons at the Jodhpur airport after arriving here. He is set to file his nomination papers for the November 25 Rajasthan assembly polls from the Sardarpura constituency on Monday.
He further said it was interesting to note that the ED has not yet taken any step against a BJP leader.
The mandate of agencies like ED and I-T is to nab economic offenders but they are targeting the politicians in the entire country.
"The ED is for economic offences and financial embezzlement and we also want actions against these. But today, agencies like ED, CBI and I-T are targeting politicians," he said.
On voices of dissent within his party, Gehlot said it was normal and a spontaneous reaction to the announcement of candidates.
"All this dissent will be managed and all will be convinced that they have to work unitedly to bring the Congress back to power in the state," the chief minister said.
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Adityanath meets Singapore Deputy PM; assures investors of biz-focussed policies in UP
Singapore/Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh is ready with land bank, business-focused policies and safety and security, Chief Minister Adityanath told investors in Singapore on Tuesday on a day he met the country's top leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.
On the second day of his official visit to Singapore, Adityanath met the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, and Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, official sources said here.
Held in the presence of a high-level delegation, the discussions focused on leveraging Singapore's expertise in urban planning, internal security architecture and digital governance to help Uttar Pradesh achieve the target of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy.
During talks with Gan Kim Yong, the chief minister emphasised on UP's pro-business environment and highlighted the state's vast land bank and improved connectivity expected from after the Noida International Airport becomes operational.
The meeting also explored the possibility of Singaporean companies establishing industrial townships in the Delhi-NCR, with particular focus on semiconductor manufacturing and green hydrogen modules.
During his interaction with K Shanmugam, Adityanath discussed modernisation of the state's law and order framework, with emphasis on Singapore's technology-integrated policing model and disaster management protocols.
Speaking to investors, Adityanath listed infrastructure, logistics, MROs among other projects in the pipeline in the state, and said he held more than 100 meetings with the business community during his visit to Singapore.
The UP CM also noted that Singapore investors were committed to a large number of projects in India and UP, including the Ganga Expressway.
Business leaders Adityanath met included CEO and chairpersons of Temasek, Government Investment Corp (GIC), Singapore Airport Terminal Services, and Blackstone.
