'Don't link CBI action to politics': BJP tells Congress amid CBI search at Bhupesh Baghel's houses

The agency teams swooped down at Baghel's residences in Raipur and Bhilai, as well as the houses of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former Chhattisgarh CM.

Raipur/Durg: Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao on Wednesday said the Congress should not link the CBI’s searches on the premises of its leader Bhupesh Baghel and others to politics and cooperate in the investigation.

The Congress earlier said the CBI's searches at former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel's residences were politically motivated, and asserted it will not be intimidated by such actions.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Baghel in connection with the alleged Rs 6,000 crore Mahadev app scam, officials said.

The agency teams swooped down at Baghel's residences in Raipur and Bhilai, as well as the houses of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former CM, they said.

The searches also covered the premises of Congress MLA Devendra Yadav in Bhilai town of Durg district, Vinod Verma, former political advisor to Baghel (when he was CM), IPS officers Anand Chhabra, Abhishek Pallava, Arif Shaikh and Prashant Agrawal, state police service official Sanjay Dhruv, among others, sources said.

Sao said during the previous Baghel-led government in the state, "several major scams" happened which are being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In this series of investigation, the CBI on Wednesday carried out raids at around 50 locations, including those belonging to politicians, IPS officers and other officials, the deputy CM told reporters.

"The CBI’s action is part of a continuous process of investigation,” Sao said.

“This investigation is not centred around one person as officials are also being covered under it. It is not appropriate to link the action to politics. The Congress everytime links such actions with politics. When these scams happened, who was CM?" he said.

"It happened during their (Congress) tenure. They should cooperate with the investigation agencies in the probe and there is no need to fear. These are independent agencies and they do not act on the basis of politics,” he added.

In the morning, Baghel said the CBI conducted searches at his residences ahead of his scheduled visit to New Delhi for a Congress meeting.

"Now CBI has arrived. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is scheduled to go to Delhi today for the meeting of the "Drafting Committee" constituted for the AICC meeting to be held in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) on April 8 and 9," Baghel's office said on X.

"Before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residences," it added.

State Congress chief Deepak Baij claimed the BJP sent the CBI after Baghel and Yadav following "failed raids and failed conspiracies".

"Since this morning, the CBI has been camping at the houses of both our leaders, this is nothing but the government's desperation," he charged.

"But remember one thing - neither Congress will bow down, nor Congress will stop. This fight is not just about the leaders, but about every truth which is being tried to be crushed by the power. BJP should remember - truth does not bow down, and the end of injustice is certain," he added.

Senior Congress leader and former Deputy CM TS Singh Deo also condemned the action and claimed the central agencies have been trying to harass Baghel.

"It is only the BJP's failed attempt to tarnish Bhupesh ji's image. The state BJP government is incapable of running the government, therefore it has been making such efforts to divert attention from the issues related to the public," Singh Deo alleged in a post on X.

First the ED, then CBI, the investigating agencies have been acting as the 'B' team of the BJP, he claimed.

"It has become clear that the central agency has only become a weapon to threaten and harass opposition leaders. This action being taken by BJP out of political malice is a violation of democracy," he added.

State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla claimed the BJP was scared of Baghel.

"Ever since Baghel has become the party in-charge of Punjab, BJP is scared. First, the Enforcement Directorate was sent to his residence and now, the CBI has been sent. This shows BJP's fear. When the BJP fails to fight politically, it uses central agencies against its opponents," he alleged.

"Neither Bhupesh Baghel nor the Congress party is scared," Shukla said.

The people of the country and the state are well aware of these "oppressive" policies of the BJP, he said.

Earlier also, the CBI lodged a case against Baghel in connection with an alleged seven-year-old (sleaze) CD matter, but the court recently discharged him of all charges, Shukla added.

The ED recently conducted searches at Baghel's residence in connection with an alleged liquor scam case.

The state government last year handed over to the CBI 70 cases related to the alleged Mahadev scam lodged with different police stations and one case registered with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the state.

The CBI has taken over the investigation from the EOW of the Chhattisgarh Police, which had earlier named Baghel, promoters of the app, Ravi Uppal, Saurabh Chandrakar, Shubham Soni and Anil Kumar Agrawal, and 14 others in its FIR.

Baghel had termed the EOW FIR "politically motivated".