A week after raids, ED summons Rajasthan Congress chief's sons
A week after raiding the premises of Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday summoned his sons over money laundering charges related to the alleged paper leak case. The action comes days before the Rajasthan assembly elections and is related to last year's alleged leak of question papers meant for the recruitment exams of government school teachers.
Why does this story matter?
The Congress says the ED is acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre, which is rattled by the forecasts of the grand old party retaining its government in the state. Recently, several BJP leaders, including Sadhvi Anadi Saraswati, have joined the Congress. However, multiple Congress leaders, including sitting MLAs, have switched over to the BJP after being denied tickets.
ED also summoned CM Ashok Gehlot's son
The ED has summoned Abhilash Dotasra for questioning on Tuesday and Avinash Dotasra on Wednesday. Their father, Govind, earlier rejected the ED's allegations, saying he was ready to answer all questions. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son and Rajasthan Cricket Association president, Vaibhav Gehlot, appeared before the ED earlier this week after he was summoned in a foreign exchange violation case.
ED conducted multiple raids on Congress leaders, others
The ED carried out searches at 11 locations in Rajasthan, including Dotasra's homes in Jaipur and Sikar, last week. A week before, the ED raided seven residential locations and seized Rs. 12 lakh in cash and "incriminating" documents. The raided premises were linked to Congress leader Dinesh Khodania and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party leader Spurdha Chaudhary, among others. Rajasthan goes to polls on November 25.
