Congress’ Mahesh Joshi’s office raided by the Enforcement Directorate in the poll-bound Rajasthan

The Enforcement Directorate raided Minister Mahesh Joshi’s Office on Friday, in connection with the alleged lapses in the drinking water project. Reports suggest that documents were seized from from Joshi’s offices, at the state secretariat in Jaipur. The raids are the latest in a string of such Enforcement Directorate operations in poll-bound Rajasthan.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has alleged that central agencies such as the ED and CBI are acting at the behest of BJP led Union government, particularly in election-bound states, to disrupt the functioning of the state. Raids were also carried out at the Jaipur residence of Subodh Agarwal, an official in the public health engineering department.

“The ED has the right to carry out raids. I have no objection. They can take all documents and files. If they come to question me, I will reply. They should do their job fairly and act against anyone found guilty but they should not trouble anyone who is innocent,”said Mahesh Joshi, stating that the ED has all the right to conduct raids, bu the central agency musty not pick on people who are innocent.

BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena has accused Joshi of being involved in a ₹20,000 crore scandal involving the drinking water project in Rajasthan. Meena stated that contractors submitted fictitious documentation and certifications of experience while bidding for the project. The BJP MP also stated that he had submitted documentation to the Enforcement Directorate that back his claims.

Speaking on the charges leveled against him by the BJP MP, Mash Joshi said that that the tenders Meena spoke off were cancelled, and therefore, the allegations are baseless.

Previously, ED raided the residence of Rajasthan Congress chairman Govind Singh Dotasra on Thursday in connection with an alleged paper leak case and served a notice to Vaibhav Gehlot, Ashok Gehlot's son, for alleged Foreign Exchange Management Act violations.
Opposition parties have cited a trend in these raids and alleged that the BJP is frequently targeting opposition leaders by conducting raids, issuing summons, and arresting them ahead of the elections.