New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy called out the ruling government today for using the I-T raids on JD(S) leaders and their establishments to generate fear among party workers ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Income tax authorities, in the wee hours of Thursday, had launched a coordinated search-and-seizure operation and raided 24 premises across Bengaluru, Ramanagara, Kanakapura, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shivamogga.
“IT officials continued their raid. They raided the rice and sugar mills run by Congress and JDS workers till 4 am today and put spy cams on their premises. Disguising themselves as railway officials, they borrowed vehicles and are now staying at CFTRI Mysuru," Kumaraswamy took to Twitter to say.
The chief minister on Thursday hit the streets to stage a protest against the I-T Department in Bengaluru. He sought to know why the BJP leaders were spared from the raid and only Congress and JD(S) leaders were targeted.
Kumaraswamy seeks the intervention of the Election Commission against this harassment of his party workers.
“A shameful attempt to threaten and generate fear among our workers! We request the election commission to immediately intervene and stop this harassment of our workers.2/2 @ECISVEEP," he tweeted today.
The ruling Congress-JDS alliance has alleged that the I-T raids were carried out on JD(S) leaders overseeing the elections of Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil, in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan.
On Friday, the Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote to President Ramnath Kovind alleging that the raids were conducted to create a fear psychosis among the voters.
In the letter, a copy of which was released to the media, he said the I-T department was carrying out raids on the relatives of Congress and JD(S) leaders to mar the election prospects and create a fear psychosis among voters, supporters, leaders and candidates of the alliance partners.
Rao requested the President to direct the income tax department to desist from conducting raids in the interest of free and fair elections.
Comments
0 comment