The income tax department on Wednesday carried out searches on multiple premises linked to Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot in connection with an alleged tax evasion case. Gahlot is the minister for transport, law and revenue in the AAP government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
A report by PTI said that at least 16 locations in and around the national capital were being raided by a team of about 30 tax department officials. The IT team conducting the search are believed to be examining the alleged tax evasion against two construction firms linked to the minister and others.
Among the premises raided are Brisk Infrastructure and Developers Ltd and Corporate International Financial Services Ltd. These companies are based in Delhi and Gurgaon.
Gahlot was elected from the Najafgarh Assembly constituency.
Kejriwal reacted angrily on the latest episode of IT raids targeting his cabinet colleagues. He tweeted, “Friendship with Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and raids on us? Mr (Narendra) Modi, you also raided me, Manish (Sisodia), Satyendar (Jain). What happened to them? Did you find anything? Then, you ought to have apologised to people of Delhi before your next raids for harassing a government that they elected.”
नीरव मोदी, माल्या से दोस्ती और हम पर रेड?
मोदी जी, आपने मुझ पे, सत्येन्द्र पे और मनीष पे भी तो रेड करवाई थीं? उनका क्या हुआ? कुछ मिला? नहीं मिला? तो अगली रेड करने के पहले दिल्ली वालों से उनकी चुनी सरकार को निरंतर परेशान करने के लिए माफ़ी तो माँग लीजिए? https://t.co/GUGEb0dwL5
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 10, 2018
Elsewhere, AAP called it a political vendetta and tweeted, ““While we are busy working for the common man, people, they (BJP) are getting raids conducted at houses of our ministers & leaders. People will respond in 2019.”
Political Vendetta Continues…..
हम जनता को सस्ती बिजली दे रहे,
मुफ्त पानी दे रहे,
अच्छी शिक्षा-स्वास्थ्य व्यवस्था दे रहे,
सरकारी सेवाएं घर-घर तक पहुंचा रहेऔर वो CBI, ED से हमारे मंत्रियों-नेताओं के घर छापे पड़वा रहे !
जनता सब देख रही है, 2019 में सारा हिसाब एक साथ करेगी ! https://t.co/DO5SaP5OqQ
— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) October 10, 2018