THE Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused the Congress of attempting to protect corruption following the arrest of Congress treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal, alleging that the Opposition party’s protests were aimed at shielding an accused facing investigation. Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office in Raipur, BJP State Spokesperson Vijay Shankar Mishra alleged that any Congress leader found to be involved in the alleged corruption should voluntarily disclose their role. He claimed that the police investigation was being conducted on the basis of documentary evidence and that the truth would emerge during the course of the probe.

 

Mishra said the court would decide the legal consequences for the accused, while asserting that the state government would not spare anyone found guilty of misappropriating public funds. Referring to the period when the Congress government was in power in Chhattisgarh until 2023, Mishra alleged that illegal collections, including levy money, payments linked to custom rice milling and liquor-related proceeds, had been documented in diaries allegedly maintained by Suryakant Tiwari. He claimed that these records, along with digital documents recovered during the investigation, indicated how the alleged funds were collected and distributed. The BJP spokesperson further alleged that police had been searching for Agrawal for nearly three years before he surrendered and was subsequently taken into custody for questioning. Mishra claimed the party had taken contradictory positions on

 

Agrawal’s association with it. He alleged that while Congress had earlier identified him as its treasurer, some leaders had distanced themselves from him following his arrest. At the same time, he questioned why Congress workers were staging protests in support of the accused if the party claimed he had no official role. Mishra also alleged that public funds diverted through corruption would be recovered and returned to the state treasury for development works. The Congress has separately criticised the action against Agrawal and has alleged that the case is politically motivated. The investigation is currently underway, and the allegations made by the BJP remain part of the ongoing political exchange between the two parties.