Can't treat cancer with sweet pills: Govt defends stronger ED amid criticism

New Delhi,UPDATED: May 1, 2026 18:15 IST

In a strongly worded defence of the Enforcement Directorate, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Thursday that financial crimes demand strict action rather than a soft approach, adding that the Narendra Modi government has strengthened the agency to improve its effectiveness.

“Cancer cannot be treated with sweet pills and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants results. That is why the ED has been empowered more than before,” Chaudhary said, setting the tone for the government’s strongest rebuttal yet to the Opposition's allegations of misuse of central agencies.

The remarks came at the 70th Enforcement Directorate Day celebrations, where both the government and the agency pushed back against criticism, framing the agency's aggressive actions as essential to combating what they described as a "growing ecosystem of financial crimes."

'CRUSHING FINANCIAL CRIMES'

Chaudhary directly addressed the Opposition’s charge that ED is being misused by the BJP-led Centre, calling it a “half-truth.”

“The full truth is that these powers have been given to crush financial crimes, not to target anyone,” he said.

Listing money laundering, hawala transactions, benami properties, corporate frauds and terror financing as systemic threats, the minister argued that such offences had reached levels that warranted stronger institutional intervention.

He also invoked the government’s “zero tolerance on corruption” stance, asserting that “no matter how powerful a person is, the law applies equally to all.”

'HIGH CONVICTION RATE'

Backing the political messaging with numbers, ED Director Rahul Navin outlined what he described as a “remarkable” performance by the agency in recent years.

He revealed four stats to bolster his argument.

• 812 complaints filed in FY 2025–26, nearly double the previous year
• A 94 per cent conviction rate
• Rs 2.36 lakh crore worth of assets attached so far
• Over Rs 63,000 crore returned to victims, including banks, investors and homebuyers

Navin stressed that the ED’s role goes beyond investigation, positioning the agency as a mechanism for restoring financial losses to victims.

“Behind every figure is a family or institution that had lost hope of recovery,” he said, citing cases where properties were returned to homebuyers and investors.

ED PUSHES FOR GLOBAL ROLE

The ED chief also flagged a significant shift in the nature of financial crime.

While earlier investigations focused on bank frauds and corporate scams, the current landscape is increasingly dominated by cryptocurrency fraud, cyber-enabled financial crimes, terror financing and narcotics-linked money laundering.

Navin said the agency has adapted its strategy to focus on “financial disruption” of such networks, tracking illicit proceeds across jurisdictions and technologies.

The ED is set to play a key role in international platforms, including chairing the Asia-Pacific Asset Recovery Interagency Network and contributing to global anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing efforts.

As the political battle over central agencies intensifies, the ED remains at the centre of a larger debate — whether it is a necessary weapon against economic crime, or a tool of political control.

- Ends

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