Fearing defeat in Himachal byelections, BJP orchestrated IT, ED raids: Jagat Singh Negi

Shimla, July 10

The Congress today accused the BJP of orchestrating raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax (IT) Department in the state in the middle of three Assembly bypoll to influence their results. “The BJP knows it is losing, and in its desperation, it is using the ED and the CBI to influence the byelections,” said Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi in a press conference here. He was accompanied by Education Minister Rohit Thakur.

“If genuine, why these raids were not conducted earlier, or could not wait until the elections got over?” asked Negi. He claimed that the agencies were torturing the individuals on whom the raids had been carried out and the efforts were being made to somehow implicate the Chief Minister.

“It’s the first time in the state that the CBI and the ED have carried out raids during the byelections. This reprehensible conspiracy of the BJP has defamed the state,” said Negi, blaming Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur for the raids. “Every time he goes to Delhi, he brings back the ED and the CBI to the state. But when it comes to bringing some financial package for the state, he always comes back empty-handed,” he added.

Negi also slammed Hoshiyar Singh, BJP candidate from Dehra, for threatening to shoot people whom he accused of following him at the behest of the government.