(Combining related reports)

The Congress on Monday termed the Enforcement Directorate raids against party leaders in Chhattisgarh as an example of “third rate politics” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and said it will not be intimidated by such “tactics”.

This is not ‘Amrit Kaal’ but an “undeclared emergency”, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said at a joint press conference with party spokesperson Pawan Khera.

They charged that the prime minister is practising the politics of “vendetta and vengeance” by raiding Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh.

Ramesh alleged that the probe agencies are being misused by the present regime.

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He said 17 opposition parties have already come together against grant of powers to the ED under the PMLA and the opposition will jointly file the review petition in the Supreme Court against its previous judgement on the issue.

Khera said the Adani issue is actually bringing the opposition together.

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including at premises linked to Congress party leaders, as part of an ongoing investigation into the coal levy money laundering case, officials said.

The raids come days before the three-day plenary session of the Congress party from February 24-26 in state capital Raipur. The state is ruled by the party under Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Baghel also called the ED’s raids “politically motivated” and claimed the BJP was afraid of the Congress and misusing central agencies to crush the voices of political opponents.

“Whenever the Congress takes any major step, such acts (raids by central agencies) happen. The BJP-led Centre is scared of the Congress. The BJP was nervous when the Congress took out the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and now they are afraid of the plenary session going to be held in Raipur,” Baghel said.

They have resorted to low level acts to create hindrances ahead of the conclave out of their frustration, he claimed.

“But, we are not afraid of such acts and we will emerge stronger and make the event a grand success. When we were not afraid of the Britishers, then why should we be afraid of them (BJP),” Baghel said.

AICC general secretary and state in-charge Kumari Selja claimed, “It is evident by the oppressive policies of the Narendra Modi-led Centre that it is so afraid of the opposition, particularly the Congress. They are not allowing the opposition to raise their voice inside Parliament as well as outside.”