BENGALURU: The Income Tax department has been pretty busy this year, and statistics bear out the number of raids conducted in Karnataka. The sudden swoops through election season have come in for some sharp criticism by the Congress-JDS coalition, the main target of the raids.
In 2019, the I-T department carried out 46 raids during the parliamentary elections, of which 39 were directed against coalition leaders and their aides — 22 against the JDS and 17 against the Congress.
During the 2018 assembly elections, the department carried out 34 raids; again, most of the action was against the Congress and JDS.
Reacting to this, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said, “If this is not vindictive politics, what is it? All of us -- Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara, Dinesh Gundu Rao and myself -- protested outside the I-T office. These statistics reveal why we protested. The raids are only proof of what I have been saying again and again.’’ Curiously, in 2014, there were no raids during general elections.
Former Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said, “This is how the ruling party is instilling fear in the minds of the people, and using central agencies — IT, ED and CBI —for its political advantage.’’ Sibal is representing Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar, who was raided during the 2018 assembly elections and later too.
In 2018, the scenario was a bit different. In the run-up to the assembly elections — a three-cornered fight between the Congress, BJP and JDS —the JDS was not marked like the Congress, and attracted only 4 raids. Statistics show that 34 I-T raids were carried out in the state — 22 against the Congress, 4 against the JDS, 6 against the BJP, and 2 against others.
Historian Ramachandra Guha said, “It is too strange to be a coincidence. This government seeks to control and manipulate public institutions, 39 against the coalition as opposed to 6 raids against BJP is too disproportionate.’’
Asked about the alleged misuse of the Income Tax department, opposition leader and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said, “The Congress and JDS cannot make such a claim. They are trying to politicize the raids, which are routine during elections. Why didn’t these party leaders say anything when IT officials raided the premises of BJP leaders in 2018, and this year too? These raids checked the free flow of money, particularly in Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru and Shivamogga constituencies, as JDS leaders are adept at using ‘money and muscle power’ in the elections. The seizure of Rs 2.35 crore from inside a tyre in Bhadravathi, Rs 1.20 lakh from HD Revanna’s escort vehicle and an audio clip of LR Shivaramegowda’s son claiming that JDS will spend Rs 150 crore in Mandya, is evidence to show that JDS and Congress tried to influence voters through money power.”
Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said it is an obvious example of how the Union government is misusing central institutions. “The I-T raids are proof of this; 39 out of 46 raids are directed against alliance partners, while most of the rich corporates are BJP’s supporters.”
The I-T department was not available for comment.