CRPF in Bengaluru to carry out I-T raids, alleges Kumaraswamy

Raising fears about possible income tax raids on Congress-JD(S) functionaries, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Wednesday claimed CRPF personnel have been brought from various parts of the country to carry out I-T raids in Karnataka.

"I have got a specific information that some 200 to 300 CRPF sleuths have arrived from various parts of the country. They will be ferried from the airport to the city.

They have been brought to Bengaluru from other states to carry out income tax raids in Karnataka," Kumaraswamy told reporters at Mandya.

He claimed that the raids may be carried out at 5 am Thursday.

I-T officials were not immediately available for comment.

Striking a belligerent note, Kumaraswamy warned the BJP-led NDA government that he would follow what his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee did if it tried to "bully" the Congress-JDS coalition partners.

Banerjee had staged a "Save the Constitution" dharna from February 3 to 5 at Kolkata after the CBI's failed bid to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with chit fund cases.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the Centre had resorted to politics of vengeance using the income tax officials as its agents.

Sending a stern message to income tax officials, he said, "I know the game income tax officials are playing at the final stage of election.

They should be cautious because if they think that they can function like the agents of a political party forever, they may end up repenting."