Centre using ED as weapon to suppress Opposition: Congress

"The BJP is suppressing, sabotaging and subjugating the Opposition through the weapon of ED. A vast number of cases were filed against Opposition leaders, but almost no fresh cases against those who are members of the ruling BJP or bear proximity to the same," senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference at the party headquarters here.

He also claimed that where cases were initiated against members of the Opposition, they had gone into 'cold storage' or been abandoned altogether once the accused had shifted their allegiance to the ruling dispensation.

Accusing BJP of 'misusing' the probe agency since after it rode to power at the Centre, Singhvi said, "As per official records presented before the Parliament, in comparison with 112 raids conducted between 2004-2014, the number between 2014-2022 is over 3,000. These are shocking statistics. They illustrate the weaponisation of the ED against political rivals and those who routinely expose this government."

"This pattern of malicious use also exposes the necessity of safeguards, many of which have been dismantled by this government through amendment after amendment. For example, prior to an amendment in 2019, seizure could only be affected after a report had been presented to a Magistrate.

"This has been done away with and seizures can take place without any notice and entirely at the discretion of the ED. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the Appellate Tribunal for PMLA hasn’t had a full-time chairman since September 2019. This again speaks to the Modi government’s intentions for whom the safeguarding of rights is simply not a priority," he said.

Singhvi said Congress shall continue to speak out and expose the government without fear.