Cash recovered during raids on Shivakumar have legitimate source: Congress

Following the Income Tax department raid on multiple locations linked to Karnataka Energy Minister D. K Shivakumar, Congress MP, D. K Suresh, who is also the former's brother, asserted that all the recovered money can be accounted for.

Speaking to reporters here, Suresh said, "This news is false. Whatever money is there we are ready to tell the source. I don't know why BJP have raided at this time; political vendetta is going on in the entire nation. Shivakumar is a senior leader of a party who follows rules and norms. If BJP thinks that he will run away from the country then they are wrong".

Further lauding the support of Congress for the minister, Suresh stated that nothing will hamper the party or ministers when we have the strong support of party president Sonia Gandhi.

"We as a party are ready to face anything that comes our way. I do not think that these things will hamper our party or minister in any way as the Congress has always been supporting us," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Income Tax department raided a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru where 42 Congress MLAs from Gujarat were holed up to avoid poaching by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat at Eagleton Golf Resort in Bengaluru.

The I-Tax department searched 60 premises linked to Karnataka energy minister D K Shivakumar and recovered Rs. 10 crore cash as part of its ongoing probe into an alleged tax evasion case.

The raid prompted reactions from a number of politicians with Congress leaders alleging that BJP is targeting MLAs from the party.