Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday alleged that the ED and I-T raids on his colleagues were malicious attempts to defame and suppress the state government.

Addressing a press conference a day after his political adviser Vinod Verma's residence was raided by the ED, Baghel said he feared that more such raids would be conducted against people close to him to scuttle the functioning of his government. He said he would give a befitting response to the BJP in the upcoming state assembly polls and wipe out the party from Chhattisgarh.

"An attempt is being made to suppress and defame the Chhattisgarh government. The BJP started this after losing the Jharkhand elections in July 2020. They were silent for two and a half years, but have become active again as the elections are approaching," Baghel told reporters.

The CM said the probe agencies are alleging scams to the tune of Rs 2,168 crore in Chhattisgarh, which they have been unable to prove, as assets recovered in raids make up for only a fraction of that sum. Baghel said the problem of the BJP is that it is baffled how the government procured from farmers 107 lakh metric tonnes of paddy which earlier used to rot in the open.

"We saved all those losses. This is their worry," he added.