Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam: ED Attaches Congress Office in Historic Move

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets, including a Congress office and properties of former minister Kawasi Lakhma in Chhattisgarh, as part of a money laundering probe into a Rs 2,100 crore liquor scam. This marks the first attachment of a political party's assets under the anti-money laundering law.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken the unprecedented step of attaching the Congress party office in Chhattisgarh and other assets linked to former minister Kawasi Lakhma. The action is part of an investigation into a massive Rs 2,100 crore liquor scam, official sources revealed.

A provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), marking a first in the history of the federal probe agency's enforcement against a political party. The seized assets, valued at Rs 6.15 crore, include Lakhma's properties in the districts of Sukma and elsewhere.

The Congress party claims that this move is a political conspiracy by the BJP. Despite these allegations, the ED asserts that Lakhma was a key member of the scam and that illegal proceeds were used to fund the construction of the Congress office in Sukma.

(With inputs from agencies.)