'My fight is against corruption': PM Modi dismisses Oppn's 'misuse of ED, CBI, I-T' charge

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday rejected the Opposition's charge that the Centre was misusing the ED, CBI, and the Income Tax Department. He said his fight was against corruption which is destroying the country. He also suggested that the charge against the Centre that it was targeting the opposition was a ploy to divert the attention of the people from the main issue, which is corruption.

"You tell me what news used to be there twenty years ago, there were searches on the black market, raids were conducted, so many things were seized, so much sugar was seized. Now do those news come? Because whatever work that institute did at that time, there was a change in the law. When taxation rules changed, the world of the black market, theatre, and black market wala was not heard in the public life of India. Not because it's gone to the parliament but because of the work done by institutes," the Prime Minister said in an exclusive interview with India Today.

"In theatre, one does not find black marketers anymore. The way it disappeared, corruption can also go. If the person who has the responsibility works, then it will go away," he added.

The Prime Minister further said that one should really ask, "That ED was given so much salary for ten years, what work did they do? Why did they not work from 2004 to 2014? It was their duty." He said there is a railway ticket checker and if he will not check tickets, then what is the need to keep him - "he is there for that work only."

"Similarly, it is the ED's job, let them do it. From 2004 to 2014, the system was the same. The law was the same. I did not make the law. I did not even make ED. They were totally useless, they did no work. They only confiscated Rs 34-35 lahks in ten years we were in opposition, who stopped them? My government has confiscated Rs 2,200 crore," he said.

Referring to some of the recent recoveries, PM Modi said the media has shown heaps of notes. "How can you defame that ED? Money was found in MP's home. How can you refuse this? You tell me If I confiscate a huge consignment of drugs, will you praise me or not? If ED confiscates it, then instead of praising, why makes them look like criminals, what kind of a method is this? Because it was confiscated from a politician's place?"

To a question on whether the action should be applied equally be it the NDA or the opposition, the Prime Minister said: "No matter who it is, this is what should happen. My fight is against corruption in the country and it is destroying the country a lot."

In December last year, the Income Tax department's raids on Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu's premises in Jharkhand and Odisha led to the recovery of Rs 351 crore and approximately 3 kg of gold ornaments. The cash haul was the highest-ever in a single action by any probe agency in the country, according to officials.