Jaitley dismisses allegations of political vendetta; says I-T raids on basis of material evidence
New Delhi: Dismissing the allegations of political vendetta levelled by the opposition parties, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday said revenue department acts objectively and conducts search operations only on the basis of material evidence.
The Income Tax Department has carried out raids on people linked to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, a JD(S) minister in Karnataka, and a senior DMK leader in Tamil Nadu in the recent past. The searches are linked to suspected movement of hawala money during the ongoing polls season and tax evasion.
The opposition parties, including the Congress, have dubbed the raids as politically motivated.
Taking note of these raids, the Election Commission in its letter to Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey had "strongly advised" that any action by its enforcement agencies during election time should be "neutral" and "non-discriminatory" and officials of the poll panel should be kept in loop about such actions.
Defending the raids by the I-T department, Jaitley, who is in the US to attend the IMF-World Bank meetings wrote a facebook post titled 'Legitimate action against corruption is not vendetta'.
"It has become a routine practice to call any action against corruption as political vendetta. Claim of vendetta has never been a legitimate defence in corruption. Those who commit such large acts of corruption have to be judged on the merits of the action itself," he said.
Jaitley said none of the two state governments (non-BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka) have replied to the allegations on merits.
"An argument is being given by them as to why they are being singled out and their political rivals are not being searched. Is there a Right to Equality that no action can be taken till the opponents are charged?
"Revenue Department acts objectively on the basis of material available and take action when they are satisfied that a case of search operation is made out," the minister said.
The Income Tax Department, Enforcement Directorate and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are the executive arms of the Revenue Department in dealing with financial crimes.
The seven-phase Lok Sabha election starts from April 11 and counting will held on May 23.
Jaitley said that the act of siphoning out money meant for vulnerable sections of society shows the mindframe of those indulging in such activities.
He said evidence has come to light in public space that in Karnataka, allocations made for public welfare to the Public Works Department were being round-tripped by engineers for a political purpose.
In Madhya Pradesh, he alleged, that an institutional mechanism has been created where money meant for development and social welfare of the weaker sections were being channelled into politics.
Without specifically mentioning the Congress, he said, "They do not even spare those who live in destitution. This is the hypocrisy of Indian politics. After inflicting such injustice they have the audacity to speak of Nyay".
In the run up to the elections, the Congress promised to implement a minimum income guarantee scheme, Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay), which assures up to Rs 72,000 a year or Rs 6,000 a month income to 20 per cent of India's poorest families, if the party is voted back to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
