PM Modi denies opposition's accusations of probe agency misuse: ‘We neither obstruct nor direct ED’

The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and Jharkhand CM has sparked a political discourse between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and the INDIA bloc, a multi-party political alliance including Congress, AAP, CPI(M) and others. 

Top INDIA leaders have accused the BJP of misusing the central agencies by registering cases against opposition leaders ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Calling it a ‘washing machine’ party, they stated that if the opposition leader joins the BJP, then the case against him will be closed. 

Prime Minister , in an interview with Tamil Nadu-based Thanthi TV on Sunday, refuted the allegations and said that the central agencies function independently. "We don't direct them (agencies). 

PM Modi stressed, “We neither obstruct nor direct their actions. They work independently, and this is evaluated by the scales of the judiciary." 

PM further stressed that the ED is handling approximately 7000 cases, with less than 3% of them related to politicians. “During their (the opposition) 10-year rule, the amount of money seized was only ₹35 lakh. On the other hand, we have seized ₹2200 crore," Modi stated.

Regarding the opposition's accusations that enforcement agencies were targeting individuals not affiliated with the ruling BJP, the Prime Minister asserted that the ED follows the same procedure to initiate a case, "irrespective of the ruling party in power."

"Regardless of the party, the process is the same. The ED cannot initiate any case on its own; various department need to file the cases first, then the ED takes action. The PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) law has existed since before, but they (opposition) did not use it. Over 150 court cases were filed to exempt the