I-T raid at Badal aide’s house near Lambi
HIGH DRAMA Income tax officials assisted by EC; Kusumjit claims drugs seized at SGPC member’s house; CM terms raid ‘Cong ploy’
KOLIANWALI (MUKTSAR): Tension between the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal ( SAD) and the Election Commission (EC) escalated on Wednesday morning when a team of the income tax department, assisted by EC officials, raided the house of Dayal Singh Kolianwali, a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) member and confidant of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.
While state chief electoral officer Kusumjit Sidhu told
Hindustantimes over phone that the team had recovered narcotics from the house, Badal hit back dubbing the raid a conspiracy of the EC at the behest of the Congress to vilify the image of the SAD. The raid comes a day after the SAD lodged a complaint against Sidhu with chief election commissioner SY Quraishi against her alleged biased attitude.
“The raid, conducted jointly by the income tax department and EC officials, yielded nothing but has exposed the conspiracy through which the EC and the Congress are trying des- perately to influence the poll process,” a SAD spokesman said in a statement here. The SAD accused the EC of “functioning under the orders of Congress leaders”.
The raid began at 11.30am with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel cordoning off Kolianwali’s sprawling house on the outskirts of the village.
Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, led by assistant commandant Vijay Singh, accompanied the income tax team.
SAD supporters gathered outside the house to express protest against the raid. A senior SAD leader from Lambi claimed that the supporters could turn violent if action was taken against Kolianwali. Meanwhile, Congress workers also arrived at the spot.
Suddenly, the phone of Badal’s personal assistant Gurcharan Singh rang and he said the chief minister wanted to talk to journalists present on the occasion. With the speaker on, Badal had the scribes foxed when he said, “The raid is a conspiracy of the state and central governments.” When the journalists drew his attention to the faux pas, he corrected himself and said, “It is the conspiracy of Capt Amarinder Singh and the central government to defame the SAD. The timing of the raid is suspect. It could have been conducted after the elections were over,” said Badal.
Kolianwali’s house is spread over 3 acres. SAD leaders Gurcharan Singh and Tajinder Singh Midhukhera kept supporters and journalists updated about developments inside.
A jeweller from Bathinda was also called by officials to evaluate the value of the jewellery in the house. The I-T officials left at 6.30pm in a motorcade without talking to the media.
Later, Kolianwali addressed supporters outside the house and claimed that he had come clean.
When contacted, director, investigation (income tax), HS Sohi declined comment. “Please call me in the morning. I’ll be able to comment then,” he said.
Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh welcomed the raid. In a statement, he said the seizures had vindicated the Congress stand that the Akalis were using drugs and narcotics for poll purposes. “It is just the tip of the iceberg. If more raids are conducted, more seizures can be made,” he claimed. On Badal’s charge, the Congress leader said, “These are simply signs of desperation and frustration.”