ED trying to help BJP in M.P. Assembly polls: LoP Singh

Mr. Singh says the he summons recieved from the ED did not include any reason or mention of violation; Congress spokesperson claims Central agencies have a target list of 117 Congress leaders in the State

Senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Govind Singh on Saturday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and other central agencies were targeting Congress leaders in the State to help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the elections scheduled this year.

Mr. Singh, a seven time MLA from Bhind who is the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, was addressing a press conference where he announced that he had been summoned to Delhi by the ED with a notice that did not mention any reason or violation.

“Today, the ED is working as an agent of the BJP. The BJP and the Congress will have a face-off for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections in the next eight to nine months. The question is that when the BJP’s boat is on the verge of sinking and has several holes in it, is the ED trying to do patchwork by demoralising and troubling the Congress in any which way?” he said.  

He further alleged that the agency was working at the behest of BJP leaders so that “Congress leaders stopped highlighting the misdeeds of BJP leaders”. Last month, Mr. Singh had claimed that he had certain “objectionable CDs [footage]” of top BJP leaders from MP.

Congress spokesperson K.K. Mishra further alleged that the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation, Lokayukta and other agencies had prepared a target list of 117 Congress leaders from the State. The party expects more such summons to arrive in the coming days, he said.

According to Mr. Singh, the ED in Delhi sent him the summons on January 13 and he received it on January 24. However, he noted that the agency – which looks into financial irregularities -- did not mention the nature of his violation.

“Neither the crime nor the reason was mentioned in the notice. When I consulted advocates Kapil Sibal and Vivek Tankha, they told me that they had never seen such a notice before, in which the reason had not been mentioned,” he said. Mr. Singh added that he would now go to the Supreme Court against the ED notice.