Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of targetting his family after the Income Tax Department carried out raids at a hospital group in Haryana’s Rewari city that is owned by his sister. Yadav alleged that the raids were conducted in retaliation for his agitation for farmers.
“Two days after my nine-day padyatra in Rewari, and launching of agitations for minimum selling price [for farm produce] and against liquor vents, a massive income tax raid is on at the hospital cum nursing home of my sisters in Rewari,” he said on Twitter. “Please search my home, why target my family?”
The Income Tax Department has said that it recovered over Rs 20 lakh in cash during raids, DNA reported. I-T Department officials said the raids were conducted after they discovered that owners of the hospital group made cash payments to a firm owned by fugitive businessman Nirav Modi.
“We have also found evidence of purchase of jewellery from Nirav Modi by the family members, in which part payments have been made in cash,” Central Board of Direct Taxes spokesperson Surabhi Ahluwalia said.
However, the Haryana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party rejected Yadav’s charge that the Modi government was targetting his family, PTI reported. “Yadav’s charge is baseless, there is no truth in the allegations made by him,” Haryana BJP Vice President Rajiv Jain said. “Where is the question of intimidating anyone? If the Income Tax Department has found anything against anyone, let it do its job and the truth will come out.”
Jain further said: “Our government does not believe in targetting anyone. But if there is any wrongdoing, action is taken as per law and I am sure in this case too the same thing will be done.”
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