Selective Enforcement Under Scrutiny: Why ED and IT Actions Since 2014 Target Opposition Leaders, Sparing BJP
New Delhi, August 31, 2025, 12:56 PM IST – As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) completes over a decade in power, a contentious pattern has emerged in the operations of India’s central investigative agencies, particularly the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) Department. Since 2014, an overwhelming 95–98% of corruption-related probes, arrests, and raids have targeted opposition politicians, while virtually no BJP or National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders have faced similar scrutiny. This stark disparity, dubbed the “BJP washing machine” by critics, has fueled allegations of political vendetta, with opposition parties accusing the Modi government of weaponizing agencies to cripple rivals. As data and high-profile cases pile up, the issue raises critical questions about institutional independence and the state of democracy in India.
A Surge in Probes: The Numbers Speak
The ED, tasked with enforcing the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), has seen its activity skyrocket under Modi’s tenure. From 2014 to 2022, the agency investigated 121 prominent politicians, 115 of whom—95%—belonged to opposition parties like Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). By May 2025, this figure rose to 98%, according to TMC leader Saket Gokhale. Over 5,000 ED cases have been registered since 2014, with searches increasing 86-fold and arrests surging by 2,500% compared to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) era (2005–2014).
The IT Department mirrors this trend, conducting raids and issuing notices predominantly against opposition figures and entities critical of the government. Notable examples include raids on the BBC in February 2023, shortly after its documentary on Modi, and NGOs like Oxfam India in 2023. Between 2014 and 2025, at least 12 opposition ministers or former ministers were arrested by the ED or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), with no sitting BJP or NDA ministers facing similar action. In contrast, only four BJP politicians have been probed by the ED since 2014, with no arrests or convictions reported.
High-Profile Cases: Opposition in the Crosshairs
The list of opposition leaders targeted is extensive and includes prominent figures:
- Arvind Kejriwal (AAP): Arrested in March 2024 in the Delhi liquor policy case, accused of corruption in liquor licensing. Kejriwal, Delhi’s Chief Minister, called the charges “dirty politics,” alleging ED coercion to join the BJP.
- Hemant Soren (JMM): Arrested in January 2024 by the ED in a land scam case, shortly after resigning as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister. Soren labeled his arrest as targeting tribal leaders.
- Sonia and Rahul Gandhi (Congress): Faced ED probes in the National Herald case, with their party’s bank accounts frozen in 2024, hampering election campaigns.
- P. Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram (Congress): Investigated in the Aircel-Maxis and INX Media cases, with multiple raids and questioning since 2014.
These cases often escalate before elections, with 11 IT raids on opposition parties during the 2019 polls alone. Critics note the timing—raids and arrests peak during campaign seasons, disrupting opposition strategies.
The “Washing Machine” Phenomenon
A striking pattern has drawn widespread attention: opposition leaders facing probes often see their cases stall or vanish after joining the BJP. Since 2014, 25 opposition politicians under corruption investigations have switched to the BJP, with 23 receiving reprieve—either cases dropped, bail granted, or probes slowed. Notable examples include:
- Ajit Pawar (NCP): Faced ED probes in a Maharashtra cooperative bank scam. After joining the BJP-led alliance in 2023, his case was closed in March 2024.
- Himanta Biswa Sarma (Congress to BJP): Investigated in the Saradha chit fund scam in 2014–15, with no progress since joining the BJP in 2015. He is now Assam’s Chief Minister.
- Suvendu Adhikari (TMC to BJP): Probed in the Narada sting case, with investigations stalling after his 2020 defection.
- Ashok Chavan (Congress to BJP): Joined the BJP in 2024 amid probes, with cases reportedly eased.
The opposition has termed this the “BJP washing machine,” alleging that joining the ruling party absolves corruption charges. A 2024 Indian Express investigation found that three cases were closed entirely, while 20 others remain stalled or in “cold storage” for defectors.
Opposition’s Outcry: A Threat to Democracy?
Opposition leaders have decried this as a deliberate assault on democracy. “The ED and IT are Modi’s political weapons,” said Congress’s Jairam Ramesh in April 2024, pointing to the 95% opposition targeting rate. TMC’s Saket Gokhale, in a May 2025 X post, called it “state-sponsored harassment,” noting that 98% of ED cases hit non-BJP leaders. Rahul Gandhi accused the government of freezing Congress’s accounts to cripple its 2024 election campaign, labeling it a “scared dictator’s” tactic.
International observers have echoed these concerns. Reuters reported that nearly 150 opposition politicians were targeted since 2014, with actions intensifying pre-elections. Amnesty International criticized IT raids on the BBC as an “affront to free speech,” linking them to Modi’s critics. A 2023 petition by 14 opposition parties to the Supreme Court alleged misuse of agencies, though the court declined to rule, stating politicians aren’t above the law.
Government’s Defense: Zero Tolerance for Corruption
The Modi government vehemently denies bias, asserting that ED and IT actions are evidence-driven. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in an August 2025 parliamentary debate, emphasized that probes target corruption, not politics, citing billions in recovered assets. “Convictions are low due to complex PMLA trials, not bias,” a finance ministry spokesperson told Reuters in 2024, noting only 40 convictions from 5,000 cases. PM Modi, in a May 2024 India Today interview, questioned why the opposition criticizes agencies for doing their job, pointing to recovered cash and assets as proof of efficacy.
The BJP also accuses the opposition of hypocrisy, recalling UPA-era scandals like the 2G and Coal scams. “They cry foul when held accountable,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra after Kejriwal’s arrest. The government highlights its legislative push, like a proposed 2025 bill to remove jailed leaders, as evidence of its anti-corruption stance, though critics see it as targeting opposition figures.
Expert Analysis: Institutional Erosion?
Analysts argue that this disparity reflects a broader erosion of institutional independence. A Carnegie Endowment report noted that agencies are increasingly used to influence elections, with PMLA amendments in 2019 making bail harder, enabling prolonged detentions. “The ED’s low conviction rate—under 1%—suggests harassment over justice,” said a former CBI director anonymously. Legal experts point to the ED’s expanded powers under PMLA, including arrests without disclosing reasons, as enabling political misuse.
The trend has global implications, with India’s press freedom ranking dropping to 159/180 in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, partly due to agency actions against critics. The opposition warns of “democracy’s demise,” with leaders like Kejriwal and Soren’s arrests seen as attempts to destabilize non-BJP governments.
A Test for Indian Democracy
As India approaches future elections, the selective targeting of opposition leaders raises urgent questions about fairness and institutional integrity. With no major BJP figures facing corruption probes since 2014, the perception of bias grows. Whether this reflects a robust anti-corruption drive or a calculated political strategy, the absence of scrutiny on the ruling party threatens public trust in India’s democratic institutions. Calls for judicial oversight and agency reform are mounting, but for now, the “washing machine” continues to spin, leaving the opposition in its crosshairs.
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