Condemning the arrest of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Union government is misusing the central agencies to harass and intimidate Opposition parties.
He said that the probe agency should have interrogated the minister after issuing notice to him first instead of making an arrest all of a sudden in the night.
Accusing the BJP of using central agencies to topple Opposition parties from power and establish its government, Kharge said that he will not be afraid of such action and is ready to sacrifice anything to protect the Constitution.
"We are in the democratic system and action should be taken according to this set-up. But, it is not good to take law into our hands," said the Congress leader.
He also said that the Opposition meeting being organised in Patna on June 23 has raised fear among the BJP leaders and Union government, especially after the Karnataka election results.
Pointing out that there is a good atmosphere for Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and several other states where assembly polls will be held in the next few months, he said that the party is planning to announce guarantees in these states.
However, he said that the manifestos will be different from one state to the other depending on its situation and the same pattern will not be applicable in all the states. In Northeastern states, there will always be a favourable atmosphere for the party in power at the Centre during the elections, he added.
Responding to the violence in Manipur, he said that negligence of the Central government and failure to take quick action has led to the loss of more life and property in that state. "We have already met the President and appealed to him to hold talks with the Central government. Immediate compensation should be given to the victims", he demanded.
Published 14 June 2023, 09:17 IST