No ED summons to my son, agency created media hype: Bhupesh Baghel

Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said his son hadn't received any notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before it in connection with an alleged liquor scam linked to a money laundering case in the state.

Baghel's statement has come amid reports that his son Chaitanya was summoned to appear before the Central agency on Saturday to record his statement.

Media persons gathered outside the Baghel residence in Bhilai (Durg district) and the ED office at Netaji Subhash Stadium at Fire Brigade Chowk in Raipur since the morning.

Asked if his son would appear before the probe agency, Bhupesh Baghel said the question of going to the ED office did not arise if he (Chaitanya) hadn't received a notice. He said when summons were served, they would be complied with.

Speaking to reporters outside his home in Bhilai, the Congress leader said, "It is ED's work to create media hype... the agency is being used to defame people. So far, they have been doing the same. There was a CD case against me for seven years. Recently, the court discharged me of all charges. This is a BJP conspiracy to defame a politician."

On 10 March, the ED raided the Baghel residence in Bhilai town as part of its probe into a money laundering allegation against Chaitanya Baghel in the alleged liquor scam case, official sources had said.

Searches were also conducted at 13 more locations, including that of Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal, an alleged close associate of Chaitanya, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

The searches lasted for about eight hours, during which the ED seized about Rs 30 lakh in cash and some documents, sources said.

Following the raids, there were unconfirmed reports that the ED had summoned Chaitanya to record his statement on Saturday.

Bhupesh Baghel, who was present at his house during the search, has claimed that the probe agency's action was the outcome of the BJP's frustration. The state's main Opposition Congress had on 11 March burnt effigies representing the BJP-led Centre and the ED, protesting against the action.

The alleged liquor scam, as per the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was ruled by a Congress government led by Baghel.

The agency had earlier said the Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam' resulted in "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with more than Rs 2,100 crore as proceeds of crime.