I-T Department refutes Chief Minister's allegations

Siddaramaiah alleged that sleuths involved in search operations against Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar asked him to join BJP

D.K. Shivakumar.

The Income Tax Department has refuted allegations made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that the sleuths involved in search operations against Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar had asked him to join the BJP.

While speaking at a rally in Bengaluru on Wednesday, the Chief Minister had said that the Centre was misusing Central agencies such as the I-T, CBI and ED and that officials who conducted raids against Mr. Shivakumar had openly asked him to join the BJP. “That is the extent of saffronisation,” he had said.

In an official statement, Director-General of Income Tax (Investigation), Karnataka and Goa, said: “We strongly deny and refute these allegations. The statement made by the Hon’ble Chief Minister is factually baseless and is strongly denied. No Income Tax officer or official has at any point of time made any such statement to the Hon’ble Minister or to anyone else.”

'Politically neutral department'

The statement said: “The I-T Department is a professional and politically neutral department. The searches carried out have, without exception, resulted in admission and detection of previously undisclosed income running into hundreds of crores of rupees and seizure of large amounts of cash and jewellery.”