ED deserves to be elevated to separate ministry: Chidambaram waxes sarcastic on Rajasthan

Mocking the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for its raids in Rajasthan, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has said that they deserve to be elevated to a separate ministry in the Raisina Hill. Taking to Twitter, he asked if the owner of Hotel Fairmont - where Ashok Gehlot's MLAs are holed up - why have the agencies not launched any raid on ITC Manesar in Haryana where Sachin Pilot and his MLAs are staying? He also questioned the investigation by the ED, adding "Who else but the astute ED can discover a money-laundering scam in 2007, presumably after 13 years of diligent investigation?"

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ED raids amid Rajasthan political crisis

The ED has conducted raids at the Hotel Fairmont and interrogated the employees after Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot's partner Ravi Kant Sharma was brought under agencies' scanner. Sources say that Sharma holds a stake in Hotel Fairmont. The Enforcement Directorate has maintained that there is no connection with the ongoing I-T searches at several places in the state. 

The Income Tax Department on July 13 also conducted raids at the houses of Congress leaders Dharmendra Rathore and Rajeev Arora, both considered to be close aides of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, including via his son. According to sources, the Income Tax is said to carry out raids at 18 places on a complaint of tax evasion in Rajasthan and Delhi, with merchant groups on its radar.

Congress leader Rajeev Arora who is a jewellery firm owner is specifically under the scanner. It is said that the IT Department is conducting raids based on inputs it has received regarding the movement of large amounts of money along with some overseas transactions. According to sources, the case is related to un-declaration of income and stock with Rajiv Arora's Amrapali office is being analysed.  Both were allegedly managing the finances of the political crisis in the state. 

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