BENGALURU: Congress leaders slammed “selective raids” by the Income Tax Department accusing the BJP of misusing the central agency to intimidate the opposition. However, JD(S) top brass refused to comment on the matter.Former chief minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday that the I-T department is used as tool used to “intimidate” the Congress and the JD(S). “Why are raids targeted at us during elections? When BJP attempted to poach our MLAs offering them Rs 25- 30 crore, we complained to the I-T Department. But they did not act. I-T raids should not be politically motivated,” he said.
Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge echoed a similar view, saying the raids are spreading fear psychosis. “Raids are one sided. They want to suppress their opponents. Where is fairness?” he said.
However, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who had held a protest outside the Income Tax Department office in the city on March 28 against raids, refused comment on matter on Tuesday and so did his father and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.
Congress candidate for Bengaluru Central, Rizwan Arshad, whose supporters had been raided recently dubbed the action as selective. “When you raid selectively, detain people and snatch their phones, they are shaken and intimidated. Why are they using the might of the government against an ordinary man like me? Are they (BJP) scared of losing?” he said.
A visibly angry KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the raids are clear case of “abuse of power”. “How many BJP leaders are raided by the I-T? For the first time in independent India, the I-T department has become a tool for the ruling party (to target the opposition). It is a clear case of abuse of political power,’’ he said.