I-T searches: Federal structure violated, says Digvijaya

Recent searches conducted in Madhya Pradesh by the Income Tax department by roping in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have prompted senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to allege that the action was a blow to the federal structure because the state government was kept in dark by the Centre.

Singh also sought explanations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on this "violation of the Constitution".

The searches were conducted on Sunday and Monday in Indore and Bhopal at the premises of the people allegedly linked to state Chief Minister Kamal Nath.

"As per the federal structure of the Constitution, no employee or official of any Central agency can take action in any state without informing the state government.

"I think the way the Centre's IT department and Enforcement Directorate (ED), along with the CRPF, took the action (to conduct the searches), it amounts to the violation of the Constitution. The PM and the Finance Minister should give answer," the former chief minister told reporters Tuesday.

The searches were conducted at the premises of Nath's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pravin Kakkad in Indore and Bhopal, besides those of his aide Ashwani Sharma.

The I-T Department Monday said it had detected a "widespread and well-organised" racket of collection of unaccounted cash of about Rs 281 crore during raids against close aides of Nath and others.

It also said the sleuths recovered Rs 14.6 crore of "unaccounted" cash and seized diaries and computer files of suspect payments made between Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

Singh pointed out that Sharma had said that he was a BJP worker.

Raising questions over a statement of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) giving information about the I-T searches, Singh said this has happened for the first time.

"Generally, the CBDT issues statement after 90 days of such action. But this is for the first time when the CBDT issued the statement on the same day (of the I-T raid)," he said.

The CBDT has said the department also detected a trail of Rs 20 crore suspect cash allegedly being moved to the "headquarters of a major political party in Delhi" from the house of an important person who lives on Tughlaq Road, home to many VIPs.

He said people are aware what is happening.

"(DMK chief M K) Stalin and Chandrababu Naidu (Andhra Pradesh chief minister) had protested against this kind of high-handedness of the Centre in the past. The premises of some ministers in Karnataka (where the Congress-JD(S) government is in power) had also been raided in such manner," Singh claimed.

He further said, "Think how much it (the I-T department) would have recovered, had the premises of Mama ji (an apparent reference to former CM and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan) got raided".

Singh is the Congress' nominee from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion of opening of his election office, Singh said he would file his nomination papers on April 19.

Singh said he had worked for decentralisation of power during his tenure as chief minister, during 1993 to 2003.