Searches by the Income-Tax Department at 39 locations, including the Karnataka resort where 43 Gujarat Congress MLAs are being lodged, triggered a storm in Parliament on Wednesday.
The Congress termed the action a “political witch-hunt” by the Centre, citing the use of not just the I-T department, but also paramilitary force CRPF, while the BJP asserted that it was routine action against “only one individual”.
The locations that were searched belong to Karnataka Energy Minister DK Shivakumar, who was overseeing the accommodation of the MLAs from Gujarat. These MLAs have been stationed at the resort to prevent them from being poached by the BJP ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.
According to I-T officials, cash and other valuables worth crores were seized from the premises.
The issue created pandemonium in both Houses of Parliament. While the Centre clarified that the raids were part of its “actions against corruption”, the Congress retorted that government wanted to intimidate its MLAs ahead of the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections.
While Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that only the Karnataka Minister was questioned by the officials, the Congress alleged that four of its MLAs were interrogated by the CRPF. The party threatened a privilege motion against Jaitley for “misleading” the House.
“The officials have questioned the MLAs. They were trying to threaten them. They were trying to create an atmosphere of terror. This is wrong,” Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters, adding that the real intention behind the searches was to block the Congress MLAs from voting during the elections.
Ahmed Patel, who is Political Secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, is the party’s candidate in the elections.
“They are using money power, muscle power and Modi power to threaten and scare the MLAs,” Patel said, and added: “We have majority despite resignation of some MLAs. The raid is to demoralise the Congress at the time of elections.” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Centre had sent the forces with the Income-Tax Officers without informing the State government.
Jaitley, however, said in Rajya Sabha that the searches had nothing to with the Rajya Sabha elections.
“As of now, they have taken him (the Minister) to his residence. There is no tax official at the resort. No search at the resort has taken place. No search on any MLA has taken place. A particular Minister of Karnataka was being searched since he had gone and parked himself at the resort; the resort certainly is not an immunity area where he can get immunity from the law. Therefore, they had gone there to take him to his residence. He has now been taken to his residence and is being interrogated at his residence,” Jaitley said.
In the Lok Sabha, the Congress members staged a walkout. The Rajya Sabha did not transact any scheduled business on Wednesday due to the interruptions by the Congress MPs.