Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday – in an all-out attack on the opposition, and specifically the Congress, ahead of the general election in April/May – hit out rival politicians facing corruption allegations and declared “whoever looted the country will have to pay”.
The Prime Minister, whose BJP is accused by the opposition of using agencies that report to the centre, such as the Enforcement Directorate, of targeting political rivals, particularly before elections, turned the accusation on its head, stating “during their (the Congress-led UPA) tenure, investigative agencies were used for political purposes only”.
“Let me shed some light… under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) we registered twice the cases than earlier. During tenure of Congress, ED confiscated properties of Rs 5,000 crore only. However, during our tenure, ED confiscated properties worth Rs 1 lakh crore…” he thundered.
“You (referring to corruption-accused opposition leaders) will have to return the money you plundered…”