'ED got freedom after 2014'; PM Modi praises central agency for 'exemplary' work

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi showered praise on the strenuous work done by the Enforcement Directorate amidst opposition clamour of the government using the central agency to subdue dissent. Speaking at the India Today Conclave, PM Modi also praised the ED for working strictly and relentlessly against corruption.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted anticipatory bail yesterday in a petition filed by the ED after he skipped summons in the liquor scam case for the eighth time. On another note, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhara Rao, who was arrested by the ED, has been kept in ED custody for seven days. It is in this context that the prime minister took time to specially adulate ED for its impressive work record.

Emphasizing the central government’s zero-tolerance policy against corruption, Modi said his government has allowed complete freedom for ED to tackle corruption. In a repartee, Modi alleged that before 2014, the ED was not allowed to function independently. He also pointed out that ED investigated only a small number of cases during the UPA reign.

'Until 2014, ED registered a total of 1800 cases. Meanwhile, 4700 cases were registered in ten years. Till 2014, assets worth up to 5000 crores were confiscated. But in the last ten years, more than one lakh crore worth of properties have been confiscated.

Complaints against corruption have increased tenfold. Some people have problems with such exemplary actions. They are insulting Modi day and night for some reason. Meanwhile, Modi has gone from giving dreams to giving guarantees," the Prime Minister said.