Kamal Nath terms I-T raids on close aides ‘poll stunt’

Bhopal: In a bid to boost the mo-rale of Congress workers in the wake of ongoing raids by income-tax (I-T) sleuths on the houses and business establishments of his close aides at different locations in and outside Ma-dhya Pradesh, chief minister Kamal Nath on Monday called it an “election stunt” performed at the behest of the BJP leadership.

Mr Nath issued a one-page statement describing the I-T raids as an attempt to intimidate the Congress ahead of the LS polls.

“BJP’s intimidation ta-ctic is a clear indication that the party has sens-ed its debacle in the 2019 general elections,” the statement addressed to Congress workers said.

Former chief minister and BJP vice-president Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, justified the raids, saying that the searches were conducted based on information on corrupt practices by people linked to the CM. “The yields from IT raids sum up the achievements of 100-day-old Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh,” Mr Chouhan quipped.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation led by party’s national vice-president Prabhat Jha submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission here on Monday demanding the appointment of special observers to oversee polling in Madhya Pradesh in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The party demanded the deployment of additional CRPF battalions in the state during the four-phase LS elections in the state, scheduled to be conducted from April 29 to May 19 in the wake of reported attempts by the state police to break off the CRPF cordon to enter the complex here where IT raids were being conducted on Sunday evening.

There was a face-off between the state police and CRPF personnel when the latter resisted the move by the former to storm into the complex where IT raids were being conducted.

In a related development, the EC has sought reports on IT raids on the houses and business establishments of people linked to the chief minister.