• By Vivek Raj
  • Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:45 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Jharkhand Congress MLA Amba Prasad responded to the recent searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at premises associated with her. Prasad asserted that the searches were a consequence of her declining an offer to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Prasad disclosed that she had been approached with an MP ticket offer from the BJP for the Hazaribagh constituency, which she turned down. She further revealed attempts by certain BJP members to pressure her into contesting from the side of BJP MP Chatra.

"They (ED) came early in the morning, and from there, it was just a whole day of torture. They made me stand in a place for hours. I was offered the Hazaribag Lok Sabha ticket from the BJP, which I ignored. Then I was pressurised," Prasad said while speaking to ANI on Tuesday.

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"So many people coming from the RSS side also pressurised me to contest from Chatra. I ignored that also. They see me as a very strong candidate in Hazaribag because we are continuously winning Barkagaon seats. We are from Congress, not from BJP. So easy target," she said.

As part of its money laundering investigation, the ED conducted searches at multiple locations linked to Amba Prasad, including her official residence in Ranchi. The federal agency revealed that the searches were carried out at 17 locations associated with the Congress MLA from Barkagaon assembly in Hazaribag district and her associates.

Amba Prasad, the youngest MLA in the current assembly and daughter of former minister Yogendra Saw, expressed dismay over the searches, labeling them as "torture throughout the day" and unacceptable.

Former legislator Nirmala Devi, Prasad's mother, commented on the raids, alleging them to be an attempt to demoralise her daughter ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Devi, who is no longer active in politics, stated her lack of awareness about the raids until informed by media persons, adding that she had advised her daughter to exit politics.

"I had no idea of the raid, as I was not inside. I knew it through media persons. I am no longer in politics. I had told my daughter to leave politics," she said.

Jharkhand Congress legislative party leader Alamgir Alam accused the BJP of orchestrating the raids and raised concerns over the targeting of opposition members.

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"Why only leaders of the opposition are being targeted. This is just the beginning of the election session and they (BJP) cleared their intentions", he said.

The raids were conducted in connection with a complaint of money laundering filed in 2023 against the Congress MLA at the Ranchi zonal office of the central enforcement agency.