PM’s "Real Surgical Strike": HD Kumaraswamy hits out amid Karnataka raids

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Mar 28, 2019 : Income tax officers are searching the premises of politicians of the ruling Janata Dal Secular-Congress coalition and their associates across Karnataka, sources said today, less than 24 hours after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy warned he would use "Mamata Banerjee’s tactics" against any move by the centre to use the government’s organs for political vendetta in election season, NDTV reported.

 

"PM Narendra Modi’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," the chief minister tweeted again this morning.

Last month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staged a sit-in after a CBI team knocked on the doors of former Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar to question him in chit fund scam cases, in what Ms Banerjee termed was the Modi government’s alleged vindictiveness towards opposition-ruled states.

The Karnataka government alleged the Modi government was using the income tax department to harass leaders of the ruling coalition in the southern state, where in January allegations of poaching of ministers surfaced, with all the three main parties - Congress, JDS and BJP - whisking away their ministers to resorts to keep their flock intact.

Income tax raids were carried out on the premises of JDS-Congress leaders in Karnataka

In today’s pre-dawn searches, income tax officials along with CRPF personnel came to the homes of Karnataka Minor Irrigation Minister CS Puttaraju in Mandya district and his nephew’s in Mysuru, news agency PTI reported. "I’m not deterred by the raids, which are election related. I would like to know which BJP leader’s house in Karnataka has been raided?" said Mr Puttaraju, who is in charge of Mandya district from where the chief minister’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, is fighting his first election.

The searches are also reportedly going on in the homes of associates of Public Works Department Minister HD Revanna, brother of the chief minister and son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Mr Revanna’s son Prajwal is contesting the

On Wednesday, the IT department spoke of raids against an unnamed politician, said to be Prabhakar Reddy of the JDS, the same day when HD Kumaraswamy tweeted to warn of more income tax raids.

The JDS’ coalition partner Congress also weighed in on the controversy. "This is the first time in the history of India that a Prime Minister has misused autonomous institutions with such flagrant disregard. The people will teach him a lesson," the Congress tweeted on Wednesday.

The Congress had made the same allegation when the premises of its leader DK Shivakumar were raided at a time when he was managing Congress legislators from Gujarat before the Rajya Sabha election in March last year.

The people of Karnataka will vote in the Lok Sabha elections on April 18 and 23. Results will be out on May 23.