Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi | Photo: PTI Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi | Photo: PTI A row erupted in Madhya Pradesh between state Congress and BJP after a businessman and his wife were found hanging in Sehore district on Friday. The Congress claimed that the victims, Manoj Parmar and his wiferoyal888, were party supporters and that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) harassed them over their political affiliations.
According to the party’s MP chief, Jitu Patwari, the couple’s children had gifted their piggybank to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his "Bharat Jodo (Nyaya) Yatra." The BJP responded, accusing Congress of “playing politics over death.”
As reported by the news agency PTI, police confirmed that Parmar and his wife died by suicide in Ashta town on Friday morning. An investigation is ongoing.
Patwari, who visited Parmar’s family, called the deaths “state murder.” He claimed that the ED had raided Parmar due to his support for Congress. His party colleague, Digvijaya Singh, made similar accusations.
ईडी के दबाव में हुई यह "सरकारी हत्या" देश में स्वतंत्र जांच एजेंसियों के दुरुपयोग का सबसे बड़ा मामला है! @narendramodi जी के "नए भारत" पर लगा यह कलंक मध्यप्रदेश के साथ, आज पूरा देश देख रहा है! https://t.co/ShjMXVsyvS pic.twitter.com/XHoIPP6gjO
— Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari (@jitupatwari) December 13, 2024Also Read | The Birth And Evolution Of Enforcement Directorate As Indian State's Sword Arm
Meanwhile, an ED official from the Bhopal zonal office issued a statement stating that the agency conducted search operations on December 5 at four premises in Sehore and Indore districts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The search targeted the residential properties of individuals benefiting from the “proceeds of crime” or those who had assisted in a bank fraud. The ED reported recovering “incriminating” documents and freezing a bank balance of Rs 3.5 lakh.
According to the ED’s statement, the investigation was based on an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Parmar and a senior branch manager of Punjab National Bank (PNB). The ED alleges that loans amounting to nearly Rs 6 crore were taken under the Pradhan Mantri Employment Generation Programme and the Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Yojana. However, the funds were allegedly diverted to proprietorships or firms and later withdrawn in cash for investments in properties. The ED investigation is ongoing.
Madhya Pradesh BJP’s media in-charge Ashish Agrawal condemned Congress’ allegations over the couple’s suicide.
In a statement, he said, “Doing politics over death is the old vulture-like character of Congressmen! Suicide of anyone is sad but Congressmen misuse it only to further their personal interests. Before making baseless allegations, both Singh and Patwari and Congressmen should know the case history.”
(With PTI Inputs)
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