The aftermath of Thursday’s significant political developments is expected to reverberate throughout Friday, as both the Congress in Rajasthan and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal gear up to intensify their criticisms of the central government following the day-long Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on senior party members in their respective states.
In Rajasthan, a state that is heading into elections, the ED conducted raids on locations linked to Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra and Independent MLA Om Prakash Hudla. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot revealed in a social media post that the ED had also issued summons to his son Vaibhav for questioning in a FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) case in Delhi. Gehlot pointed out that these ED actions came just a day after his government had announced guarantees for women. The Congress leadership presented a united front in response to the ED’s actions, with Gehlot, state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, and others holding a press conference in Jaipur, while Sachin Pilot addressed a conference in Delhi.
Gehlot compared the ED to a locust swarm, stating that their aim is to create public perception and generate headlines like “CM’s son being summoned” or “PCC president being raided.” He challenged the ED to take action against five more Congress leaders as the party is set to declare five more promises on Friday. So far, the party has announced two guarantees, including providing Rs 10,000 annually to women heads of families and expanding the beneficiaries covered by the subsidized cylinder scheme to 1.05 crore families in the state.
In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and ministers have been subjected to harassment by agents of central agencies, with agents conducting raids at their homes right after Durga Puja. TMC leader Mamata Banerjee criticized the authorities and warned of widespread protests if plaques commemorating the ‘World Heritage Site’ designation by UNESCO at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan were not updated to include the name of Rabindranath Tagore. A controversy arose when the university authorities erected plaques bearing the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the vice-chancellor, but omitted mention of its founder, Tagore.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Chitrakoot in Satna district, Madhya Pradesh, a state preparing for elections. His itinerary includes visits to religious and educational institutions, along with inaugurating a new medical facility.
