IT sleuths threatening raided leaders to claim money belongs to me, Cong: D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday alleged that Income Tax department officials were conducting raids targeting the Congress, ahead of Lok Sabha polls, and are threatening leaders who faced raids to claim that money belongs to him and the party.
The state Congress president also claimed that the department is working like "BJP agents".
IT sleuths on Wednesday conducted simultaneous raids at some locations in and around Bengaluru, belonging to businessmen and associates of prominent political leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.
"The Income Tax department is being used to target only Congress party people, they haven't got money from anyone. Income Tax people are threatening everyone to say that money belongs to Shivakumar, Congress money," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "they (IT sleuths) have to do searches for an hour or so and go back; instead, people are being forced to sit with them for an entire day, not allowing them to be involved in election activities. I did not expect such politics from the Income Tax."
"Let them go, do searches. Did they go to anyone from BJP? Don't they know where BJP is distributing money? Is there no list? You (IT) have kept people for watch, what are they doing? Like BJP agents you are working. Yesterday at three or four places our Congress leaders specifically from Bangalore Rural segment were targeted," he added.
Shivakumar's brother and present MP D K Suresh is the Congress candidate from Bangalore Rural, which goes to the polls on Friday.
According to sources, the search on Wednesday was focused on places belonging to a prominent leader who organised campaign rallies for the Congress.
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making certain statements recently against the ruling Congress in the state, out of "frustration."
"But, they will fail once again here (in Karnataka). I have already said they won't get double digits here," he said. Karnataka has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Slamming Modi over his 'mangalsutra' remark, the KPCC chief sought to highlight the alleged spike in gold prices under his rule and said, "(the issue is) women are unable to wear mangalsutra (unable to afford gold)...not mangalsutras being snatched by the Congress."
Reacting to Congress leader Sam Pitroda's "inheritance tax" remarks, Shivakumar said, no such things have been decided in the party, and it is not the party's stand, and "we will not allow it."
"This is India. Already Jairam Ramesh (Congress' in-charge Communications) has spoken on behalf of the party. There is no such tax, what is there in this country, our traditions and practices, will continue...what we have said in our manifesto that's all, nothing other than that," he said, as he tried to distance the party from such remarks.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Attempt to shield 'infiltrators': BJP ahead of Cong's rally against 'vote theft'
New Delhi (PTI): Ahead of the Congress' rally over the "vote theft" issue, the BJP on Sunday alleged that the main opposition party was holding the event in its bid to "protect infiltrators" from being removed from the electoral rolls.
The ruling BJP asserted that the Congress will not succeed in its design of misleading people as well as "insulting and defaming" constitutional institutions, because the entire world knows that India's democracy is "very robust".
Stepping up its campaign against the alleged "vote theft" by the BJP in elections, the Congress has organised a rally at the Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday that will be attended by the party's top leaders, including general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, and Sachin Pilot.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi are expected to address the gathering. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also likely to be present at the event.
Ahead of the event, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress was holding the rally even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah "exposed" the opposition through his point-by-point rebuttal to their "fabricated" allegations during a debate on electoral reforms during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
"This shows that you do not have truth in your hand, yet you are trying to create an atmosphere of confusion. The Congress' rally is an exercise to protect 'ghuspaithiyas (infiltrators)'. This is what the Congress is doing," the BJP MP told reporters here.
"The Congress party may try all it wants to mislead the people as well as insult and defame our constitutional institutions. But, the entire world knows that India's democracy is very robust and it cannot be shaken," he added.
The BJP leader accused the Congress of holding the rally to pursue its "appeasement politics" and dared Rahul Gandhi to challenge the Bihar assembly polls if he felt that there was any irregularity.
"Rahul ji, you still have perhaps 10 days left in your hands. You can still file a complaint if you feel that there was any irregularity (in the poll process) in any of the seats in the Bihar assembly polls," Patra said.
