PM Modi's real surgical strike is out in open: Kumaraswamy on I-T raids in Karnataka

Day after making stunning claims about the Centre deploying CRPF personnel in Karnataka for I-T raids, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has yet again slammed Narendra Modi government for targeting the state leadership ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections. “PM Narendra Modi's real surgical strike is out in the open through IT dept raids. The constitutional post offer for IT officer Balakrishna helped the PM in his revenge game. Highly deplorable to use govt machinery, corrupt officials to harass opponents during election time,” Kumaraswamy said on Twitter.

The statement comes at a time when the I-T personnel are carrying out raids in the state. In a pre-dawn swoop Thursday, Income Tax officials along with CRPF personnel carried out raids at the residences of Karnataka Minor Irrigation Minister CS Puttaraju and his nephew. Speaking to a private news channel, JD(S) leader Puttaraju said three teams of Income Tax officials and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel carried out raids at his Chinnakurli residence in Mandya and his nephew’s house in Mysuru.

 

PM @narendramodi's real surgical strike is out in the open through IT dept raids. The constitutional post offer for IT officer Balakrishna helped the PM in his revenge game. Highly deplorable to use govt machinery, corrupt officials to harrass opponents during election time.

— H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) March 28, 2019

Reacting on the I-T raids, JDS leader Madhu Bangarappa said, “CM had already spoke about this, because he got inputs from intelligence department. BJP is trying to play political game. Why no raids at BJP leaders' houses? I-T raids are common, but I am questioning their timing.”

Kumaraswamy on Wednesday had claimed that the CRPF personnel have been brought from various parts of the country to carry out I-T raids in Karnataka.

"I have got a specific information that some 200 to 300 CRPF sleuths have arrived from various parts of the country. They will be ferried from the airport to the city. They have been brought to Bengaluru from other states to carry out income tax raids in Karnataka," Kumaraswamy told reporters at Mandya.

Striking a belligerent note, Kumaraswamy warned the BJP-led NDA government that he would follow what his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee did if it tried to "bully" the Congress-JDS coalition partners.

Banerjee had staged a "Save the Constitution" dharna from February 3 to 5 at Kolkata after the CBI's failed bid to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with chit fund cases.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the Centre had resorted to politics of vengeance using the income tax officials as its agents.