“No action executed with sense of revenge”: Sitharaman on ongoing raids on Cong leaders in Chhattisgarh

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], February 20 (ANI): On a query over the Directorate of Enforcement’s ongoing raids on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said no action is executed with a sense of revenge.

At the post-Budget press conference in Jaipur, the finance minister said, “Any agency first collects data and only then action is taken. No action is executed with sense of revenge.”

She also said that Congress should learn to listen while sitting in the Parliament.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday conducted fresh searches at nearly a dozen locations in Chhattishgarh in mining and alleged coal levy scam. The places searched include residential and office premises of various Congress leaders namely Ram Gopal Agarwal, Girish Devangan, RP Singh, Vinod Tiwari ad Sunny Agrawal, said sources.

The Finance minister also said if any party or state government wants to bring petrol and diesel under the purview of Goods and Services Tax (GST), then it would be discussed only once it is placed before the GST Council.

The Finance minister was addressing a query about bringing petrol and diesel under the ambit of GST and on the rising price of cooking gas at a press conference in Jaipur on Monday.

She said it does not depend on the government and only the GST Council can decide on this, adding that if any party or state government wants to bring petrol diesel under the purview of GST, it would be discussed only after placing before the Council.

The Finance minister added that it can be brought within the ambit of GST only with the consent of all states.

The conference was also attended by the Union ministers of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary and Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad. Finance Secretary TV Somanathan and Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran were also present at the conference.

During the post-Budget conference in Mumbai on February 11, Sitharaman said Indian regulators are “very experienced” and seized of the matter related to the Adani Group and are “on their toes” to handle the situation that has arisen following a report by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research.

Addressing mediapersons in Mumbai, Sitharaman said the regulators “are on their toes as always, not just now”.

Recently there was a major crash in the Indian stock market in the wake of a report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research on the Adani Group.

The US firm has accused the Indian conglomerate of engaging in fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, which the Adani Group has denied. (ANI)