ED raid exposes Modi government's vicious vendetta: Congress

New Delhi  :  As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted raids on senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram's son Karti's properties, the party said "Raid Raj" has become the "DNA" of Modi government and it exposes its vendetta politics by using probe agencies as "captive puppets".

It said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was ruffled by a series of political, administrative and judicial reversals and was, therefore, using these raids to divert the attention of the country from its abject failures.

The party said Congress leaders would not be "cowed down or bow in face of such malicious and wilful attempts to browbeat, bulldoze or overawe".

"Hurriedly conducted ED raids at the Delhi and Chennai residences of former Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram have once again exposed the continuing vicious vendetta unleashed by Modi government against Congress and other opposition leaders," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a statement.

"Stark truth is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are using agencies like ED and CBI as captive puppets to settle political scores and intimidate political opponents. In fact, 'Raid Raj' has become the 'DNA' of Modi government," he added.

With such "spiteful and hostile onslaught" to suppress the voice of opposition, the party's resolve to raise people's issues and hold the government and the Prime Minister accountable on policy and promises only became stronger, Surjewala said.

The Directorate on Saturday conducted raids on Karti Chidambaram's properties in Delhi and Chennai in connection with the INX Media money laundering case.

The raids were conducted at one location in Delhi and four in Chennai.