Bhupesh Baghel's Son Arrested On Birthday, He Says "Thank You For Gifts"

Chaitanya Baghel - the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel - was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate Friday in a money laundering case linked to an alleged liquor scam. The arrest triggered chaos in the Assembly; the Congress' protests forced an adjournment of proceedings.

The agency had earlier labelled Chaitanya Baghel the 'recipient' of proceeds of a financial crime that had cost the state government more than Rs 2,160 crore. The state's former Commerce and Commercial Tax Minister, Kawasi Lakhma, was arrested in connection to this case in January.

Sources told NDTV Mr Lakha allegedly received a large sum in cash every month as part of the scam run by a liqour syndicate. The scam itself, sources said, had multiple aspects, including the sale of country-made alcohol via government-run liquor shops in rural regions. The state, the ED has alleged, did not receive any money from such sales; all of it went to the liqour mafia.

Another aspect of the scam was bribes taken from distillers, i.e., liqour manufacturers, in exchange for fixed market shares and licenses to sell premium, often foreign-made, brands. And yet another was collection of bribes, again from distillers, for the state-run marketing coop to purchase the product.

All of this allegedly took place between 2019 and 2022, when the Congress was in power.

Sources said Chaitanya Baghel's arrest - accompanied by a sizeable police force, to quell possible protests by gathered Congress workers - was on charges of not cooperating with the probe agency.

This was shortly after the federal agency searched the Baghel family's home in Bhilai in Durg district, a residence that was also raided in March, though then it was the Central Bureau of Investigation acting against the senior Congress leader in the Mahadev betting app scam.

Mr Baghel - who faces corruption allegations linked to the Mahadev case - dripped sarcasm as he confirmed his son's arrest in an X post, 'thanking' Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, the ruling BJP's two tallest leaders, for the 'birthday gift' for his son.

"The kind of birthday gifts (PM) Modi and (Union Home Minister Amit) Shah give cannot be given by anyone in any democracy of the world. On my birthday, both the most respected leaders sent the ED to the houses of my advisor and two OSDs (i.e., Officer on Special Duty) ..."

"And now, on my son Chaitanya's birthday, the Enforcement Directorate team is raiding my house. Thank you for these gifts. I will remember them for life," Bhupesh Baghel said.

He also pointed out the raid, and arrest of his son, was on the final day of the monsoon session of the Chhattisgarh Assembly, when the issue of environmental damage from a mining project in Raigarh district was to be discussed. The Congress leader has been vocal on this issue.

The Congress, and other opposition parties, have routinely accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using federal investigative agencies, like the ED and the CBI, to harass and target rival politicians, particularly before an election. The BJP has, just as routinely, rebutted this charge.