Ahmedabad: The Income Tax department today morning carried out searches at 39 locations related to Karnataka Energy Minister, DK Shivkumar including his residence.

The Income Tax department with Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF) jawans also reached Eagleton resort where the minister was staying with around 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs who are kept there ahead of Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat by Congress party. However no search was conducted on the resort premises.

Congress party has assigned responsibility of Gujarat MLAs stay in Karnataka. The raids began at 7 in the morning.

Rajya Sabha polls candidate and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted: BJP is on an unprecedented witch-hunt just to win one Rajya Sabha seat. After using the state machinery and every other agency, these I-T raids show their utter desperation and frustration.

BJP is on an unprecedented witch-hunt just to win one Rajya Sabha seat

— Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 2, 2017

After using the state machinery and every other agency,these I-T raids show their utter desperation & frustration

— Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 2, 2017

It’s worth noting that Bangalore is considered a strong area of DK Brothers – DK Shivkumar and DK Suresh. When Gujarat MLAs were brought to Bangalore, DK Suresh was present there but DK Shivkumar was spending vacation abroad. However he returned immediately as per party order and took responsibility of hospitality of 44 Gujarat MLAs. Suresh took help of his relative and party MLA S.Ravi. Suresh himself accompanied MLAs in their journey to resort. Shivkumar was considered candidate for Chief Ministerial post.

Eagleton resort is located in Bidadi industrial area. Shivkumar is Energy minister in Karnataka government and MLA from Bangalore rural. DK Brothers are assigned responsibility of keeping the MLAs in resort and take them to temples and other places as per their wish.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha said: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaking in Rajya Sabha said: In that resort where your MLAs are staying, no search has taken place. No MLA has been searched. A particular individual was to be searched. He had gone and parked himself in that resort, so the authorities because they had to confront him with recoveries they had gone to get him to his residence so that he could be adequately questioned by the authorities outside. As of now they have taken him to his residence and there is no tax official at the resort, no search at the resort has taken place, no search on any MLA has taken place. A Particular minister of Karnataka was being searched since he had gone and parked himself in the resort The resort certainly is not an immunity area where he can get immunity from the laws and therefore they have gone there to take him to his residence. They have taken him to his residence and he is being interrogated at his residence. There’s search on 39 locations, not on this resort since he voluntarily choose to park himself in this resort. They were duty bound to get him to his residence, and mind you whether it’s use or abuse depend on nature of recoveries, not depend on where he parked himself.

DeshGujarat