‘They have unleashed terror in the country’: Ashok Gehlot slams BJP as ED summons his son, Vaibhav Gehlot

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot slammed BJP after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned his son, Vaibhav Gehlot, in connection with a foreign exchange violation case under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). The ED also raided the premises of Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra as part of a money laundering probe. 

Gehlot told reporters in Jaipur, “The situation is worrisome. They have unleashed terror in the country.” He said that the ED raids happen whenever there are elections to be held, be it Chhattisgarh, Karnataka or Himachal Pradesh. 

“We will win the election,” said Gehlot, adding that Congress will not be scared no matter how hard BJP tries. He accused the BJP of targeting him through ED raids to topple the government. 

Even Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge slammed the BJP. He said that agencies such as the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department become the real 'panna pramukh (party workers)' of the BJP as soon as elections come.

"I have received a summon. 12-13 years ago similar allegations were made and we had responded to them. Now again, ED has come. People of Rajasthan do understand why this is happening when model code of conduct is imposed in the state," said Vaibhav Gehlot. 

The Rajasthan CM said that under the UPA rule, 112 searches were conducted by the ED and charge sheets were filed for 104 cases, but after 2014, as many as 3,010 raids took place but only 881 charge sheets were filed. 

Vaibhav Gehlot has been asked to depose before the ED office in Jaipur or New Delhi on Friday. The summon for Vaibhav Gehlot is linked to the recent ED raids against Rajasthan-based hospitality group Triton Hotels & Resorts Pvt. Ltd., Vardha Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. and its directors and promoters Shiv Shankar Sharma, Rattan Kant Sharma and others. The raids were conducted for three days in August at locations in Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Delhi.

The ED also raided the premises of Dotasra and Omprakash Hudla, Congress candidate from Mahua assembly seat, in connection with a money laundering probe into the alleged exam paper leak case.

Congress workers, after the raids, sat on a dharna in Sikar and Jaipur and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also read: ED summons Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot's son in foreign exchange violation case ahead of state elections