Shivakumar asks why BJP & JD(S) leaders are behaving like IT department’s representatives

PTI, Oct 14, 2023, 6:04 PM IST

Hitting out at the opposition for linking huge cache of money recovered by Income Tax sleuths during searches at properties belonging to a city-based contractor to the Congress government in Karnataka and its leaders, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar questioned as to why JD(S) and BJP leaders were behaving like the department’s representatives.

He pointed out that the IT department is yet to make an official statement regarding the searches, its outcome, and the recoveries made.

”They (BJP-JD(S) leaders) are speaking whatever they want. Let the Income Tax department give an official statement (on searches), let’s speak after that. Kumaraswamy (JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy) or BJP leaders are not representatives of the Income Tax department, they are speaking as though they are its representatives,” Shivakumar said in response to a question.

”I won’t say anything now, let the Income Tax department release the information they have, and let’s talk later on it,” he said, when questioned whether he expects more IT raids in the state.

IT sleuths have conducted searches at properties belonging to some contractors, and have reportedly recovered a huge cache of money stashed in several boxes at properties belonging to one city-based contractor, according to official sources.

Several BJP leaders, and also JD(S)’ Kumaraswamy, targeting the Congress government, have alleged that the money recovered by IT sleuths, was actually collected from contractors as commission, in return for clearing their pending bills, to fund upcoming elections in five states.

Senior BJP leader and former Minister R Ashoka today said the BJP demands CBI probe to find the truth about the money recovered during the searches.

Stating that more than Rs 42 crore cash has been recovered from a contractor’s house, whose wife was earlier a Congress corporator, shows the ways in which this government is functioning, he said, there is suspicion as to how the contractor got so much money, when he was not involved in any contracts for some years now, and had never indulged in big contracts.

Pointing out that the BJP had earlier alleged that it is an ATM government in the state, and the recovery of huge cash is an evidence for it, Ashoka further said Karnataka was being used as an ATM to fund the Congress party in five election-bound states.

He even claimed that money was being sent to poll-bound Telangana.