Congress leaders stage protest outside ED office in Chhattisgarh, demand probe into NAN scam

Congress leaders and workers on Monday staged a sit-in protest outside the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chhattisgarh's Raipur, demanding investigations into the NAN (Civil Supplies Corporation), chit fund scams and other irregularities that allegedly took place during the BJP rule in the state.

Congress workers and leaders from the state sat outside the Central probe agency's office, shouted slogans and submitted a letter with their demands.

Talking to reporters, state Congress president Deepak Baij said, "Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has been saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to fight the upcoming election through the ED and Income Tax department. They are trying to defame and scare us." The Congress has written to the ED demanding probes into the scams that took place when the Raman Singh-led BJP government was in power in the state, he said.

The Congress in its letter to the ED has claimed that the Rs 36,000 crore NAN (civil supplies corporation) scam and chit fund scam of Rs 6,200 crore had taken place during the Raman Singh government's rule, and these irregularities have been proven and the state government is investigating some of them and has taken actions in a few.

"The chief minister had written to you (ED) to conduct investigations, but no decision was taken in this connection," the party stated in the letter, while questioning the probe agency about its inaction against the scams that allegedly involved the BJP.