Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department and refuted the charge of a liquor scam in state to the tune of Rs 2,000 crores.
He asserted that revenue earned by liquor sales during his tenure had been hiked to a huge amount.
Baghel also charged that the Central agencies were acting as a political tool of the BJP and were busy denting the image of the Congress government ahead of assembly polls.
“The central agencies are falsely implicating Congress leaders and state officials and are unable to say what they found in the probe," Baghel said.
Regarding fresh raids of ED regarding the alleged liquor scam, the Chief Minister said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its annual reports has given a clean chit to Chhattisgarh's liquor policy and the allegation of a huge scam was a propaganda at the BJP's behest.
The Congress government had not changed the liquor policy of the erstwhile BJP government. “The charge of liquor scam is thus false and is a well-planned conspiracy to defame the Congress government ahead of assembly elections."
The revenue earned by the state from sale of liquor in 2017-18 was Rs 3,900 crores which has considerably increased to Rs 6,000 crores. This itself proves that any charges of scams were false and politically motivated, he said. Baghel alleged that federal officials tortured Congress leaders and state officials and compelled to sign documents.