Following the filing of the Enforcement Directorate’s sixth charge sheet in the alleged liquor scam case, Bharatiya Janata Party State Spokesperson Nalinesh Thokne launched a fresh attack on former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and the Congress party, alleging that proceeds from the alleged scam were used to purchase a luxury hotel in Goa. Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Ekatma Parisar on Wednesday, Thokne displayed a photograph of Hotel Westin in North Goa and claimed that the property was acquired using funds generated through the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. Referring to the Enforcement Directorate’s charge sheet, Thokne alleged that around Rs 110 crore in cash was transported from Chhattisgarh to Goa for the purchase of the hotel. He further claimed that the agency’s sixth charge sheet mentions that the funds were transferred at the behest of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

 

Questioning the Congress party’s response to the allegations, Thokne said the BJP had raised the issue earlier and was reiterating the demand for clarification. He alleged that neither Bhupesh Baghel nor the Congress party had responded to the claims made in the charge sheet. Taking a swipe at the former Chief Minister, Thokne remarked that Baghel is usually quick to address the media on various issues but has remained silent on what he described as a serious matter. He questioned whether the silence should be interpreted as acceptance of the allegations. The BJP spokesperson also alleged that the Congress had come to power promising total prohibition in the state but instead allowed an alleged liquor scam to flourish. He claimed that the ongoing investigation by the Enforcement Directorate was bringing various aspects of the case to light.