ED raids house of Rajasthan cabinet minister for home Rajendra Yadav

JAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out a search operation at the residence of the Rajasthan Minister of State for Home, Rajendra Singh Yadav, early this morning. Teams from Delhi also inspected the properties of the minister’s relatives.

The operation, mostly focused in the Behror-Kotputli area, began with a group of 24 officers accompanied by 18 security staff arriving at Yadav’s home around 7 a.m. By 4:15 p.m., the officers concluded their search.

During the raid, ED officials broke open two locked cupboards and a box in the presence of the minister, yielding certain documents. A locksmith was summoned to facilitate the process.

In a press conference held in Jaipur later in the evening, Minister Yadav responded to the ED’s actions, saying, “I am unrelated to this matter and am being unjustly targeted.”

On 7 September 2022, the Income Tax Department had conducted raids at 53 of Yadav’s locations. He is involved in multiple education-related ventures and owns a nutritious food manufacturing unit in Kotputli, which has recently come under scrutiny for alleged financial misconduct.

Yadav stated, “First the Income Tax Department visited, and now the ED. They’ve taken my sons’ mobile phones. My sons are involved in supplying mid-day meals, which is lawful. There were no discrepancies in our previous transactions during the pandemic.”

Regarding today’s events, he added, “Both my sons’ residences in Kotputli were searched. Preliminary reports indicate that only two mobile phones were confiscated. We produce bags in our factory; what the users store in them isn’t our concern.”

Yadav emphasized that fluctuations in product pricing are natural and mentioned past disputes concerning payments. He denied any speculation about joining the BJP and affirmed his loyalty to Congress.

The minister also highlighted the raid on the Rajasthan Flexible Packaging Factory in Kotputli, where bags for packaging are manufactured. This facility had previously been flagged during an Income Tax raid concerning mid-day meal irregularities. Minister Yadav oversees this business as its director, and his elder son, Madhur Yadav, manages the company.

Serving his second term as an MLA from Kotputli and now in his inaugural ministerial role, Yadav has been a pivotal figure in the Congress District of Jaipur Rural. His significant contributions in the packaging industry span facilities in Gurgaon, Delhi, and Uttarakhand, a legacy inherited from his father.