Speaking about the GST scam and Mahesh Langa’s involvement, Deputy commissioner of police, city crime branch, Ajit Rajian said: “The central GST had found some suspicious transactions in bogus firms floated in the name of journalist Mahesh Langa's wife and father using forged documents.” Ever since Mahesh Langa, a left-leaning journalist for The Hindu was arrested by Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Tuesday (8th October), for alleged involvement in a multi-crore GST scam, the anti-BJP politicians and the media ecosystem has come out in Langa’s defence. The usual suspects have even accused the BJP government in Gujarat of exacting revenge against Mahesh Langa for writing articles against their policies.
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, who is out on bail in his own little money laundering scam case, alleged that Mahesh Langa’s arrest is somehow the BJP government’s revenge. Moreover, the TMC MP accused the BJP of punishing Langa while also intimidating other journalists. “This is Modi & BJP’s shameless Gujarat textbook for revenge which I’ve personally experienced,” Gokhale claimed.
The money laundering accused TMC MP went on to accuse central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, CBI etc as the ‘private mafias’ of the BJP. “Mahesh Langa is a fearless journalist who has constantly shown truth to power. His arrest is an attempt to punish him for his work & to intimidate other journalists – a model that Modi has perfected in Gujarat over years,” t.