IT DEPT RAIDS DELHI MINISTER GAHLOT ON TAX EVASION CHARGE

NEWDELHI:THE income tax department on Wednesday searched at least 16 places in Delhi and Gurugram linked to state transport minister Kailash Gahlot over an alleged tax evasion case, triggering an angry response by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The searches were conducted as part of a tax evasion probe against two firms that are allegedly operated by Gahlot’s family members, news agency PTI quoted officials as saying.

The AAP termed the raids “political vendetta”. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal sought an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In Delhi, raids were conducted in residential areas such as Vasant Kunj and Defence Colony and offices and residences in Paschim Vihar, Najafgarh and Laxmi Nagar. In Gurugram, a premises was raided in Palam Vihar, the officials said.

The officials told PTI that searches were being conducted as part of a tax evasion probe against two firms -- Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Pvt Ltd and Corporate International Financial Services Limited -that are operated and owned by the family members of Gahlot.

Hours after the raids were initiated, Delhi chief minister and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to slam the Bjpled Central government. “Friendship with Nirav Modi and (Vijay) Mallya and raid on us? Modiji you conducted raids on me, Satyendar (Jain) and Manish (Sisodia). What happened to those (raids)? Nothing was found. So before you go carry out another raid at least apologise to the people of Delhi for troubling their elected government,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

Besides the transport portfolio, the Najafgarh MLA is also in charge of several other departments, including law and administrative reforms, in the Kejriwal government.

This is not the first time that an AAP minister has faced a raid by a central agency. CM Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia, and PWD minister, Satyendar Jain have also faced raids in the past. HTC & PTI