Already at the receiving end of ED and the CBI raids there was more pressure on the Trinamool Congress ahead of the panchayat elections with the Income Tax department now joining the “assault” as the TMC leadership put it. The IT department on Wednesday conducted simultaneous daylong search operations in the properties owned by BJP-turned-TMC MLA and State Public Accounts Committee Chairman Krishna Kalyani.
Raids were conducted at Kalyani’s houses, offices and factories including rice and oil mills at Raiganj in North Bengal, Malda and Kolkata, sources said adding a good amount of documents, laptops, mobile phones and other items had been seized in the raid. Kalyani had won the 2021 Assembly elections from Raiganj constituency on a BJP ticket but had subsequently joined the TMC to become the PAC Chairman. Raids were conducted on grounds of evasion of taxes and disproportionate asset, sources said adding the MLAs office at Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road in North Kolkata too was raided by the CBI sleuths. “Our teams are conducting searches at multiple locations connected to Kalyani and the premises of one of his business partners in Malda,” a CBI official said, adding documents and other materials that had been found would be examined.
When asked to comment the TMC leadership reacted with caution saying they did not oppose action against corruption but such actions should not only be those who are opposed to BJP and of course the saffron leadership should not navigate central agencies. “We have no issues with search operations or action against the corrupt but the issue is why such actions should be selective so as to target only anti-BJP people or for that matter why such actions should come only when the BJP leaders want it,” State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said adding, “it seems the state BJP and its leaders are deciding whose house to be raided by central agencies.
This proves that the BJP is misusing central agencies to serve its political interests.” Apparently she was referring to an earlier comment made by Bengal Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari who had allegedly dropped hints of more I-T raids against “corrupt TMC leaders.” The saffron party however, hit back saying the TMC’s allegations were unjustified because Kalyani had been occupying the post of PAC on the basis of his being a BJP MLA.
“The TMC often complains that central agencies do not raid BJP leaders … here they have raided Krishna Kalyani who still officially is continuing as a BJP MLA … now they should not have any problem,” said State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.