ED searches Karti’s premises, Chidambaram calls it comedy of errors

There is no predicate scheduled offence. Hence the ED has no jurisdiction. Yet the ED, at the instance of the government, continues to misuse its powers. I belong to the opposition party. Let the government misuse the ED. I shall neither bend nor break and I shall continue to speak and write,” Chidambaram said in his statement.

Reacting to the ED searches, senior Congress leader Karate Thiagarajan said it has become a routine for central agencies to raid Chidambaram’s house on holidays. “Since ED, Income Tax, CBI and almost all the key central agencies have completed their searches, the BJP ruling the Centre should now ask the Tamil Nadu government to search for dengue mosquitos too using Chennai corporation’s health team,” he said.

Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said the “hurriedly conducted” raids have again “exposed the continuing vicious vendetta unleashed by the Modi government against Congress and other opposition leaders”.

“The stark truth is that the Prime Minister and his government are using agencies like ED/CBI as captive puppets to settle political scores and intimidate political opponents. In fact, ‘Raid Raj’ has become the ‘DNA’ of the Modi government,” he said. “Congress leaders will not be cowed down or bow in the face of such malicious and wilful attempts to browbeat, bulldoze or overawe.”

He added, “Our resolve to raise people’s issues and hold the government and Prime Minister accountable on policy and promises become stronger with such spiteful and hostile onslaught to suppress the voice of opposition. It is now apparent that the BJP government is ruffled by a series of political, administrative and judicial reversals and is using these raids to draw the attention of the country from its abject failures.”