Raids by agencies under the Union Government, particularly the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have become so regular that the common man has come to look upon them with scepticism. Though there was a time when such raids had thrown up revelatory moments with the media beaming images of seized articles glittering in the klieg lights or piles of cash that drew a gasp, of late their cadence seems to evoke just doubts and laughter.
When leaders of political parties opposed to the ruling dispensation were gearing up for a unity conclave in Patna, sleuths from the ED descended on the properties of minister V. Senthil Balaji belonging to the DMK that is part of the emerging new coalition. Then when more leaders of the same ilk get set to reach Bengaluru with the same agenda of figuring out ways to defeat the BJP in the next elections, another batch of ED personnel landed at the premises of another minister, K. Ponmudy. Could that be just a coincidence?
But it makes the people suspicious as they remain in the dark about the outcome of earlier raids, say like the one conducted at the Secretariat long ago when the chief secretary’s office was searched. The common man may have come to realise that raids nowadays are meant to harass political opponents. After all, he has watched a wide range of politicians of varied hues being put through the ordeal with their goose never getting cooked.
Seeing raids as a national sport played by rulers on those refusing to toe their line and not necessarily engaging in corruption, the people do not believe the ED or any such agency anymore. Of course, they do not need the ED to tell them that a politician possesses excessive wealth by conducting a raid. Maybe they would like to know what exactly was unearthed and also see the corrupt going to jail. But the outcome is neither in most cases. So, they speculate on the ED’s next target.
