ED raids in Chhattisgarh | Venugopal says Congress not scared; party workers protest in Raipur

Members of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh staged a protest in front of the ED's office in State capital Raipur against the raids.

All India Congress Committee general secretary K.C. Venugopal on Tuesday termed the Enforcement Directorate's raids on party leaders in Chhattisgarh as "political vendetta" and said the Congress will not be scared of it.

The Congress will fight against it according to the law, Mr. Venugopal told reporters at the Swami Vivekananda Airport here.

Meanwhile, members of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh staged a protest in front of the ED's office in State capital Raipur against the raids.

The ED on Monday conducted raids at more than a dozen locations in Chhattisgarh including at premises linked to state Congress leaders as part of an ongoing probe into the alleged coal levy scam.

When asked about it, Mr. Venugopal said, “It is clearly a political vendetta. It was expected. We were expecting (raids) as the Congress' plenary session is going to be held and there is election… we are not scared of anything.”

The Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are due this year-end.

"We are law abiding citizens. Don't think that the Congress is going to be scared in the name of the BJP or (Prime Minister) Modi. We will fight it out certainly according to the law. You can see, just before the plenary session of a national party, they are doing this type of drama...,” Venugopal said.