Data on the Income Tax search and seizure operations in the State during the Lok Sabha elections seems to bolster the Congress–Janata Dal (Secular) coalition’s claim of “partisan action” by the I-T Department.
Of the 46 people who were targets of the department’s action during the elections, 39 were supporters of the coalition partners — 22 of the JD(S) and 17 of the Congress, while six persons were supporters of the BJP, shows data put together by the coalition parties.
Department officials were not available to corroborate this claim or comment on it.
“The blatant misuse of the I-T Dept. is clear by these figures. They gave protection to the BJP to spend money like water, as nearly ₹1000cr was pumped into the K’taka election by Mr. Amit Shah. Supporters & candidates of INC/JDS were harassed by the I-T Department,” tweeted Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao. He told The Hindu that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been using “every agency to recapture power, and in the bargain, he has compromised the integrity and reputation of the agencies”.
Protest
It may be recalled that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Congress leaders, led by the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had staged a protest outside the department’s office here on March 28 following I-T searches on the premises of JD(S) followers that day. Coalition leaders had alleged the department in the State was working as an “agent of BJP president Amit Shah” and Mr. Kumaraswamy had said that “misuse of Central agencies to create an environment of fear by the BJP was setting the States on a collision course with the Centre”.
Following this, B.R. Balakrishnan, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax and Director-General (Investigation), Karnataka and Goa, against whom the leaders had made several allegations, wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka seeking an FIR against the Chief Minister. An inquiry was instituted by the State police on the directions of the CEO.
During 2018 polls
Data on similar action by the I-T Department during the May 2018 Assembly elections in the State shows an interesting pattern. Of the 34 search and seizure operations conducted during the election season, 22 targeted those supporting the Congress, four were against JD(S) supporters, and six were against BJP supporters.
The Congress and the JD(S) had fought the Assembly elections independently.
While there were fewer searches against JD(S) supporters during the Assembly polls, they were the most targeted during the Lok Sabha elections.