Karnataka minister, Cong sees Gujarat RS poll link
Shivakumar was hosting Congress MLAs in Bengaluru resort; govt dismisses ‘witchhunt’ charge
BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: Tax officials raided on Wednesday multiple properties linked to DK Shivakumar, a top minister in Karnataka hosting a group of party legislators from Gujarat to avoid a break in their ranks ahead of a close Rajya Sabha election.
Tax officers raided 64 places in Delhi and Karnataka linked to energy minister Shivakumar as part of investigations into his alleged tax evasion and dodgy investments in real estate. About ~10 crore in cash, much of it from his Delhi homes, as well as jewellery and investment documents were allegedly recovered.
The move triggered an angry response from the Congress, which accused the BJP of carrying out “an unprecedented witch-hunt”. The Election Commission sought a report from the finance secretary by Friday after the Congress complained that the BJP was using paramilitary forces to intimidate its MLAs ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.
A party delegation met the EC and asked it to ensure the safety of its Gujarat MLAs.
Congress leaders protested noisily and forced multiple adjournments in the Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha, the party staged a walkout.
The Congress has accused the BJP of using “money and muscle power” to engineer defections among its legislators in Gujarat, where senior party leader Ahmed Patel is seeking re-election to the Rajya Sabha, on August 8.But the government said the ‘Eagleton – The Golf Village’, where the Gujarat legislators were camping, had not been raided. Finance minister Arun Jaitley told Parliament that only Shivakumar, who was trying to “hide behind the cover” of the lawmakers at the resort, had been taken for questioning.
Jaitley told the Lok Sabha that tax officials found that Shivakumar was tearing up documents at the resort.