Congress leader Shashi Tharoor asked on Sunday, “How is this possible that there are no other criminals anywhere but only in opposition?” His statement came amid actions taken by central agencies against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Speaking at a press conference in Jaipur on Sunday, Tharoor said, “Let the ED (Enforcement Directorate), Income Tax Department, and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) do their job, but how come all of their targets are in opposition (parties)?”
Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Tharoor added, “Are members of the Opposition criminals, they have many things to hide…but when those leaders having criminal charges and investigations going on against them join the BJP…no one listens about it…many such cases are even shut.”
Shashi Tharoor also accused the Centre of destroying India’s democratic institutions and said the country is turning into an “electoral dictatorship”. He made the remarks at the 17th Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday, PTI reported.
Tharoor’s statement came days after Hemant Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged land scam case. The fomer Jharkhand chief minister was sent to five-day custody on Friday.
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the financial probe agency five times for questioning in the Delhi Excise Policy case. He was recently served a notice by the CBI in connection with the allegations levelled by him that the BJP was attempting to “poach” AAP MLAs.
Opposition leaders have been launching attacks on the BJP over the actions of the central probe agencies against Opposition leaders.
In November last year, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had called that the three central agencies — the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department — “jawans” (soldiers) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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Published: 04 Feb 2024, 08:31 PM IST
