New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (August 23) conducted raids at over three dozen locations in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, both states which currently have non-Bharatiya Janata Party governments. The raids were in connection with a liquor scam probe, Hindustan Times reported, and those affected included people close to the ruling party in both states.In Chhattisgarh, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma was among those whose was searched. Premises belonging to two of Baghel’s OSDs (officers on special duty) Manish Banchhor and Ashish Verma were also searched.Congress leader Baghel responded to the raids on Twitter, sarcastically saying this was the prime minister and Union home minister’s birthday gift for him.आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री जी एवं श्री अमित शाह जी!मेरे जन्मदिन के दिन आज आपने मेरे राजनीतिक सलाहकार एवं मेरे OSD सहित करीबियों के यहाँ ED भेजकर जो अमूल्य तोहफा दिया है, इसके लिए बहुत आभार.— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) August 23, 2023In Jharkhand, of the at least 34 places raided were the premises of Rohit Oroan, son of state finance minister Rameshwar Oroan, the newspaper reported.The ED, according to Hindustan Times, has claimed that Rs 776 crore commission out of total Rs 2,161 crore collected in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam by Anwar Dhebar, prime accused and brother of Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar, went to “political executives”.Several Congress leaders came down heavily on the ED and the Union government after the raids, saying this was part of the Centre’s pattern of using central investigative agencies to target opposition politicians and governments. Opposition parties from across India have made this allegation against the BJP over the last few years.“The ongoing ED raids in Chhattisgarh are a clear reaction to the pre-poll surveys that have predicted a massive rout for the BJP. Our pro-people Congress government will not get bogged down by such threats. We have the power of people behind us,” Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said on X (formerly Twitter).“Completely out of the race in the upcoming elections, the BJP is trying its dirtiest tricks to intimidate and rattle the Congress,” added Congress MP K.C. Venugopal.One day before, the ED had conducted a raid at the residence of CPI(M) leader and Kerala MLA A.C. Moideen, in connection with the Karuvannur cooperative bank scam. “In a normal case, the investigators would ask the respective person about the charge levelled against him. But, nothing like that happened. So, I feel that the raid was a pre-planned move,” Moideen said after the raid.