'BJP misusing central forces to intimidate Cong MLAs ahead of

The Congress today accused the BJP of "misusing" central forces to "intimidate and terrorise" its Gujarat MLAs lodged in a resort near Bengaluru ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls, after the income tax raids on properties linked to Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who owns the resort.
Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat were also questioned by the central forces as to when and why they had come to the resort.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP of "waging a war" against the Congress in a "pre-meditated conspiracy".

He also alleged that it had launched an attack on democracy and the Constitution.
It was an assault on the federal structure, he added.
Asked what steps the Congress would take, Kharge said, "For such unlawful activities, we will go not once but many times to the EC. We will take the support of all constitutional institutions to stop the BJP from doing such things."

On Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that the MLAs have not been questioned by the forces, the Congress leaders termed his statement as "wrong" and said they would seek a clarification from him in the Rajya Sabha.

"It is clear that central forces are questioning our MLAs lodged in a resort in Karnataka and are trying to intimidate them. They are trying to create an atmosphere of fear so that the MLAs do not cast their votes in the August 8 Rajya Sabha election," Kharge said.
He claimed that the BJP and the central government will not succeed in their attempts to terrorise and intimidate the Congress MLAs.
"There is no doubt that Ahmed Patel is winning the RS election with a majority despite the use of manpower, money power, muscle power and 'Modi power' by the ruling BJP. This is not good for democracy," Kharge told reporters.

He said that the ruling party was trying to create a "fear psychosis".
"We condemn this as this is not good for democracy. They are bringing such a system in parliamentary democracy which is not good and we condemn this," Kharge said.
Ramesh said the central forces have been misused without the state government's permission. He also said that the BJP will fail in this war against the Congress.
The Congress leader termed today's action in Bangaluru as "tanashahi" (dictatorship) and "Amitshahi", saying "this jugalbandi (chorus) of the PM and (BJP president) Amit Shah is a threat to our democracy".

"This is an attack on the Constitution and the federal structure as also on the Congress party...It is very clear that democracy is in danger and the prime minister and BJP chief duo are working 24X7 to remove all other parties from power," he said.
Ramesh said the BJP and the prime minister should not adopt such a method and return to the path of democracy and talks.
"To use CRPF in any state is an attack on the federal structure. It is an attack on the Congress surely, but it is a pre-conceived attack.
"On one side the prime minister talks of believing in cooperative federalism. This is not cooperative federalism, it is confrontationist federalism. PM talks of skill India, but this is 'Kill India'," he said.

Ramesh said the timing chosen by the central government to raid the Karnataka minister was deliberate ahead of the Rajya Sabha election aimed to defeat Congress leader Ahmed Patel.
"It looks like the PM and the BJP chief have a one-point agenda of defeating Ahmed Patel. We are confident that our candidate Ahmed Patel will win and this war of BJP will not prove successful," he said.
I-Tofficials said about Rs 10 crore cash has been recovered during the raidsat various properties linked to the minister, who was taken to his house in Bengaluru from the resort by the taxman early today.

A "good amount" of jewellery has also been recovered from a teacher's locker in a college here.