JOIN USI-T raids on Kamal Nath close aides, nephew
The Income Tax Department conducted searches at around 50 locations in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh against those linked to Chief Minister Kamal Nath in allegations of tax evasion triggering a political slugfest between the Congress and BJP.
Officials said searches were conducted at Indore, Bhopal and south Delhi's Green Park and those being searched included Nath's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pravin Kakkad, former adviser Rajendra Miglani and executives linked to his brother-in-law's firm Moser Bayer and his nephew Ratul Puri's company.
The searches, which started around 3 AM and carried out by around 200 IT department and police officers, were linked to the suspected movement of hawala money during this poll season, officials said.
Both Kakkad, a former Madhya Pradesh police officer, and Miglani had quit just before the Lok Sabha polls were declared.
The searches were described by the Congress as political vendetta.
"The BJP government has been targeting Opposition leaders across the country due to political enmity. Due to such act of political vendetta, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister (N Chandrababu Naidu) and DMK leader M K Stalin had to stage a protest against the Centre," MP Congress' media cell vice president Bhupendra Gupta, also a former OSD to Nath, was quoted by PTI as saying.
Hitting back, BJP's national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "black money worth crores was recovered during the Income Tax department's raid at the house of private secretary of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. This has made one thing clear that those who are thieves have a complaint against the watchman."
The family of Kakkad, who had also served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA regime, is associated with a number of businesses, including hospitality while Puri was questioned by Enforcement Directorate in Delhi last week in connection with the AgustaWestland case.