Modi, Shah misusing I-T dept to thwart Cong politically: Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the BJP is misusing the Income Tax department to raid the premises of Congress leaders in Karnataka at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah.

Referring to the raid by the IT department officials on Monday, on a private resort near Badami, where he had stayed last week, the CM said, “It is already four days since I returned to Mysuru. It is funny that the raid has been conducted now. Would I leave behind money in the room, where I had stayed? Do they have common sense or not? Our party leader C M Ibrahim stayed in the room after I left. Later, he too left. Somebody else is there now”.

“Let them conduct raids. I have no objection to it. But, they should not do this during elections. Such raids, during elections, are never heard of. No other government has done this earlier. I vehemently condemn this," he reacted sharply.

"They are misusing the IT department with the sole intention of troubling us politically. The BJP fears to lose the polls. So, they are conspiring to win by crooked means,” he alleged.

“I am not deterred or intimidated by the BJP leaders. If they think that such means would help them, they are mistaken," the CM stated categorically.

"Election cannot be won by threatening the opponents. Are the others not staying in hotels? Why are there no raids on the hotels where Amit Shah and BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa stayed? Why have there been no raids on the houses of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa?” he asked.

“The BJP spreads rumours that there has been a raid on the house of one Mariswamy Gowda, whom they claim to be my confidant. The media also publishes such rumours as news. They do not verify how Mariswamy Gowda is associated with me,” he said.