Bengaluru: A few hours after Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy expressed serious apprehensions about politically motivated Income Tax raids on his party men, the I-T department swooped down on many JDS associates across Gowda strongholds of Hassan and Mandya early on Thursday morning.
Hundreds of I-T officials are conducting search and seizure operations across these two districts from where JDS supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy are contesting the Lok Sabha elections.
A furious Kumaraswamy has blamed PM Modi for the raids. In a tweet he has levelled serious charges against Karnataka-Goa IT commissioner Balakrishnan, saying that he is harassing BJP's political opponents for a post retirement Constitutional post.
Terming the raids as PM Modi's "real surgical strike", the CM warned he would use tactics like Mamata Banerjee against any move by the centre to use the government's organs for political vendetta. Last month, the Bengal chief minister had staged a sit-in after a CBI team arrived at former Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar's residence to question him in chit fund scam cases.
PM @narendramodi's real surgical strike is out in the open through IT dept raids. The constitutional post offer for IT officer Balakrishna helped the PM in his revenge game. Highly deplorable to use govt machinery, corrupt officials to harrass opponents during election time.— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) March 28, 2019
Kumaraswamy's elder brother and PWD minister H D Revanna has launched a blistering attack on I-T department and the prime minister. Condemning the IT raids, he said, "Who is Modi? Deve Gowda is not scared of him. Our people will show them their right place. We will follow Mamata Banerjee's model if the BJP does not IT raids".
He even described IT chief commissioner Balakrishnan as a stooge of BJP. "The same officer gives a clean chit to BS Yeddyurappa in 24 hours. He is harassing us. Let him go to Yeddyurappa's house as a bonded labourer. He is a disgrace to the post".
According to reports, more than 300 I-T officials are conducting raids on the offices and houses owned by the businessmen and contractors close to JDS. The angry JDS supporters are protesting blocking the Bengaluru-Mysore highway.
Mandya district in-charge minister CS Puttaraju has threatened a massive protest, calling it day light murder of democracy. I-T Commissioner Balakrishnan has been a controversial figure who was earlier accused of harassing Congress leaders and their close associates in Karnataka.
The JDS maintains that the party will sweep the polls and a nervous BJP, staring at an imminent defeat has resorted such desperate measures.
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