New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday slammed the Centre over the Enforcement Directorate’s action against an owner of newspaper ‘Gujarat Samachar’, alleging that the government’s priority seems to be arresting journalists who question it rather than nabbing terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the ED and the CBI were unleashed by “Modani” to take over Mumbai International Airport.
There was no immediate reaction from the government and the Adani Group on the allegations.
“The CBI was unleashed by Modani to take over a television channel to make it their mouthpiece. The Income Tax Department was unleashed by Modani to take over the Krishnapatnam port. There are other such examples like, for instance, to take over cement companies,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Now ED has been unleashed by the “deadly duo” to take over leading Gujarati daily ‘Gujarat Samachar’ which has been consistently, persistently, and insistently writing against them and their shady deals, he added.
Congress leader Jignesh Mewani said that the Gujarat government should clarify its position on the case of Bahubali Shah, one of the owners of ‘Gujarat Samachar’, and also tell whether more journalists will be targeted in future.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Shah on May 15 after raiding the premises of ‘Gujarat Samachar’. A court in Ahmedabad granted him bail a day later on Friday till May 31 on health grounds.
“After the Pahalgam attack, the whole country wants to see when the Modi government will arrest the terrorists of the Pahalgam attack? Where have those terrorists gone? Have they gone back to Pakistan or are they on Indian soil? Narendra Modi and his government have no answer to this,” he said.
Mewani alleged that instead of arresting these terrorists, the government is targeting Shah, an owner of a newspaper.
“It seems that catching the terrorists of Pahalgam is not the priority of this government. The priority of the government is how to close down the newspapers that question the government,” he said.
Congress’ Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai alleged that the BJP government used to talk about catching terrorists, but now it has started arresting journalists.
“Terrorism was to be ended, but journalism is being ended,” he said.
The ED, which arrested Shah on Thursday, did not oppose interim bail, stating it was giving its consent “strictly on humanitarian grounds and extreme medical condition of the accused.” Shah is one of the directors of Lok Prakashan Limited which owns ‘Gujarat Samachar’. His elder brother Shreyansh Shah is the managing editor of the daily. PTI ASK ASK SKY SKY
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