Bhubaneswar, Apr 16 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should be disbanded as there are other agencies to investigate economic offences.

Speaking to reporters at the Bhubaneswar airport on his way to the Jagannath temple in Puri, Yadav said that when the Congress was in power, it had created the ED, and now it is facing trouble because of this agency.

"I would like to speak on ED rather than National Herald. The Congress has created ED, and is now in trouble because of the same organisation. I have earlier told a very senior journalist that there are several institutions like the Income Tax Department to look into economic offences. Therefore, there is no need to have an ED. It should be disbanded," he said when asked about the nationwide protests against the agency by Congress.

The ED has filed a charge sheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, and others before a special court in the National Herald case, accusing them of laundering Rs 988 crore.

Asked about the success of the BJP's 'double engine' governance model, Yadav said the two engines in Uttar Pradesh are moving in separate lines.

"I do not know what is happening in Odisha. Synchronised governance in the state and at the Centre has not met its anticipated goals," he said.

On the allegations of the BJP about the violence over the Waqf Amendment Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad, Yadav said, "Mamata Banerjee is the chief minister of the state and I believe that no CM will like to create disturbance in her own state." "Let me tell you a reality. At Kannauj and some other places in UP, BJP members kept meat in temples and created riots. The BJP can go to any extent to create disharmony among people," he alleged.

Yadav, meanwhile, met senior Congress leader Srikant Jena in the city.

He said the SP is keen to expand its organisation in Odisha.

"We are trying to strengthen our presence in Odisha by engaging with more people on the ground," he said.

On his meeting with the Congress leader, Yadav said, "To fulfil Babasaheb Ambedkar's dream of equality, respect, and inclusivity, I have come here to meet Jena, who is secular and democratic. With the dream of Ambedkar, the SP aims to expand in Odisha." PTI AAM AAM SOM

Enforcement Directorate disbandment urged amid National Herald charges; other agencies adequate to investigate economic offences, leader says The Enforcement Directorate should be disbanded because existing agencies like the Income Tax Department can investigate economic offences; this proposal is presented as a policy critique connected to the ED's historical creation and current National Herald proceedings against senior political figures.