Bengaluru Income Tax Raid: Karnataka BJP Demands CBI Probe Into Recovery Of Huge Amounts Of Cash

The Karnataka BJP on Tuesday staged a demonstration demanding a CBI investigation into the significant cash seizures made during recent Income Tax raids in the state and several other states.

On Monday, the BJP had also carried out protests within Karnataka, specifically targeting the Congress government while implicating Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in alleged corruption, in light of the aforementioned Income Tax raids.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes revealed that the Income Tax Department had confiscated Rs 94 crore in cash, along with gold, diamond jewelry valued at Rs eight crore, and 30 luxury watches as a result of raids conducted on government contractors and real estate developers in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Delhi.

Within Karnataka, the Income Tax officials seized approximately Rs 42 crore in cash from a contractor and his son, according to department sources.

D V Sadananda Gowda, former Chief Minister, who led the party leaders during the demonstration at Freedom Park, accused the Congress of having a sole agenda to accumulate funds for transfer to other states going to polls. Party leaders chanted slogans against the Congress government, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and the party's central leadership.

Speaking to reporters, Sadananda Gowda went on to claim that the level of corruption occurring in Karnataka was unprecedented in the country. He alleged that the Congress had initially withheld funds for pending bills from contractors, with the intention of pressuring them to make illicit payments.

Sadananda Gowda characterized Karnataka as an "ATM" for the assembly elections in five states and called for a CBI investigation to uncover those responsible for the corruption and financial misconduct. He asserted that an I-T investigation alone would not suffice and that it was imperative to expose those clandestine figures behind the scenes.