BJP using ED, CBI, I-T dept as party knows workers will not fetch votes: RJD

Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Saturday alleged that the ruling BJP at the Centre had "lost trust in its own leaders and workers", a reason why it was "unleashing central agencies on political adversaries".

RJD spokesman Rishi Mishra made the tongue-in-cheek statement, reacting to ED raids against party leader and alleged sand mining mafia Subhash Yadav, a day after the Income Tax department had conducted searches at the premises of MLC Binod Jaiswal.

"The BJP has lost trust in its own leaders and workers. It seems to have realised that they will not be able to fetch votes for the party. Hence, it has reposed its entire faith in the ED, the CBI and the I-T department", Mishra told PTI video.

He also dismissed the BJP's contention that the agencies were doing their jobs without any political interference, and that leaders of opposition parties were falling under the dragnet because of corruption.

The RJD leader said, "If everything is so fair and impartial, let there be some raids against Ajit Pawar, who was accused by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having embezzled Rs 70,000 crore".

The allusion was to a speech given by Modi last year, barely a few days before Pawar split the NCP headed by his uncle Sharad Pawar, and joined the BJP-led government in Maharashtra to become the deputy chief minister.