Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused the Centre of misusing its investigative agencies and said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches in the state were "anticipated" as the assembly elections are approaching.
The news agency PTI said the ED conducted searches at multiple locations in Rajasthan during the day in connection with a money laundering investigation into an alleged exam paper leak case for recruitment of government teachers in the state, according to sources in New Delhi.
While the opposition BJP in the state defended the ED action, saying the law will take its course, the Congress said the ED has come to Rajasthan on a "political task", it mentioned.
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Ashok Gehlot also accused the Centre of targeting his Officer on Special Duty Lokesh Sharma in a phone tapping case, it mentioned.
Gehlot as per the report said the ED, CBI and the Income Tax department were "eagerly desirous" to enter Rajasthan, and accused the Centre of misusing these agencies in election-bound states for political vendetta.
He questioned why the ED was "intervening" when the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) was doing such a "good job" in investigating the leakage of papers in the government's teacher recruitment exam, it said.
"ACB is doing such a good job, why are you intervening? Earlier also, the ED was sent in a paper leak case but what happened after that? Why do you interfere without any reason," Gehlot asked, as per the report.
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He also said that the ED should also cooperate with the ACB if the federal agency gets something in the course of its searches, it mentioned.
