A political controversy has erupted after a letter purportedly from a top Income Tax (I-T) official to police claimed that Karnataka's anti-corruption bureau (ACB) was planning to conduct raids against the personnel of I-T department, which is under the Centre's jurisdiction.
Home Minister R Ramalinga Reddy rejected the claim that ACB was planning any such action while BJP President B S Yeddyurappa accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of "misusing" the ACB to shield himself.
The purported letter addressed to the state Director General of Police reportedly claimed that the ACB had "plans" to raid I-T officials but that it did not have any such powers as the I-T department was under the Centre's control.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of recent I-T raids against state minister D K Shivakumar at multiple locations in the country.
Responding to questions about a TV channel report on the letter, state home minister Reddy told reporters that the ACB knew its jurisdiction and there was no such proposal to conduct raids.
According to the letter, the state police can only inform senior I-T officials or the CBI about any corrupt and erring department personnel, he said.
He also said neither had there been any such discussion, nor proposal to conduct raids on I-T officials.
"ACB knows itsjurisdiction and government will not interfere in its (IT department's) functioning," he said alleging that it was the central government which misused the CBI.
"Just because the central government misuses its agencies like CBI or I-T, it probably thinks we also do it, but we don't misuse any state agencies. ACB has certain guidelines under which it works," he said.
Hitting back, Yeddyurappa, who is facing ACB cases on graft charges, said,"Siddaramaiah is misusing ACB as a shield" to counter the allegations against him.
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