Kharge slams ED searches at Yadav family premises, hits out at Modi govt

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge accused the Modi govt of making sinister attempts to kill democracy by misusing probe agencies against Opposition leaders

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of making "sinister attempts to kill democracy" by misusing probe agencies against Opposition leaders, as he slammed the Centre over the ED searches on the premises of former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's family.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches in multiple cities of Bihar and other locations, including premises of Yadav's family and other RJD leaders, in connection with a money laundering investigation into the land for jobs 'scam' case.

The ED in its raids seized Rs 53 lakh, USD 1,900, about 540 grams of gold and bullion and 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, sources in the agency said. One of the locations searched was a house in south Delhi where Lalu Prasad's son, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Tejashwi Yadav was present, they said.

Reacting to the searches, Kharge in a tweet in Hindi said, "For the last 14 hours, Modi ji has kept ED at the house of Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav."

"His pregnant wife and sisters are being harassed. Lalu Prasad ji is old, ill, even then the Modi government did not show humanity towards him," Kharge said. "Now the water has gone over the head."

"Modi government is making a sinister attempt to kill democracy by misusing ED-CBI against opposition leaders," he alleged.

Where were the agencies of the Modi government when fugitives ran away from the country with crores, he asked.

"When the wealth of the 'best friend' touches the sky, why is there no investigation?" he said, apparently referring to industrialist Gautam Adani, who is alleged by Congress to be a close friend of Narendra Modi. "The people will give a befitting reply to this dictatorship!"

Searches also covered premises linked to Lalu Prasad's daughters Ragini Yadav, Chanda Yadav, and Hema Yadav, former RJD MLA Syed Abu Dojana, Amit Katyal, Navdeep Sardana and Praveen Jain in places such as Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi, and Mumbai, officials said.