'Frustrated' BJP using every "dirty trick" to win RS seat in Guj: Congress

Congress has condemned the Income Tax (IT) department raids at Karnataka's Minister for Energy D.K. Shivakumar's residence and at resort where 44 Congress Gujarat MLAs and alleged that it is "dirty and ugly" trick of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win the Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the grand old party is raising the issue in both the houses of Parliament.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said the grand old party will neither bow down nor it will be intimidated by BJP's "political conspiracies" like IT department raids.

"BJP has used every dirty and ugly trick in the book to run a conspiracy to win the Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat. Attempt was made to bribe legislators in Gujarat. A sinister conspiracy was hatched to intimidate the MLAs or to make them forcibly resign. When all this failed, a frustrated BJP government is now resorting to IT raids in Bangalore and on Congress," he said.

He further said that truth will win and attempt to murder democracy through Income Tax raids and other sinister efforts would be decisively defeated by the people of Gujarat and MLAs of Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha election.

Another party leader Sandeel Dikshit told ANI that it is a clear misuse of government machinery.

"It should be highly condemned.these people (IT department) are working as if they are Amit Shah's personal servant," he added.

Another leader P.L. Punia said it only shows what kind of politics the BJP is doing.

The raids took place at minister's residence in Kanakapura, Sadashivanagar and at rooms of Congress Party MLAs in the resort.

The raids started at 7 a.m. this morning and are still underway.

Shivkumar was in-charge of hospitality for all Congress Gujarat MLAs staying in Bengaluru.

After six of its MLAs joined BJP, the Congress sent its 44 Guajrat MLAs to Bengaluru.

Speaking to the reporters, Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar earlier said, "To ensure that BJP is not successful in its mission, 44 of us Congress MLAs are leaving from Gujarat for Bengaluru. To hide their failure, the saffron party is trying to make sure our MLAs resign by offering money and through police pressure."

Earlier, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had accused the BJP in the state of horse-trading ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for August 8.

The developments come after at least six Congress MLAs in Gujarat resigned from the party to join the BJP.