Karnataka: Congress erupts after IT raids; workers burn tyres, hit the street

BENGALURU: Following the search operations by the sleuths of Income Tax department on the residences and offices of Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his relatives on Wednesday, the Congress workers staged vociferous protests against the central government in front of his house at Sadashivanagar and at various other places in the state, calling the raid ‘a political vendetta’ by the BJP.

Hundreds of protesters, including members of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), flocked to the residence of Shivakumar as the news of IT officials reaching Eagleton Resort in Bidadi and the minister being brought to his house for investigation broke out. The moment Mr Shivakumar, accompanied by the IT officials reached his residence in Sadashivanagar, angry protesters raised anti-Narendra Modi slogans and accused the BJP of using the IT department to its advantage.

“The raid is politically motivated and the timing and place of the raid explain it all. With this raid, the central government wants to send out a message to the 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs who have been holed up by the party at the resort to avoid poaching by the ruling BJP in Gujarat ahead of the Rajya Sabha election, that this will be the future if you come in way of the ruling party,” a protestor said. Incidentally, the raid was conducted only four days after the Gujarat MLAs reached the city whose accommodation was being taken care of by Mr Shivakumar.