‘It is not BJP money’: Nirmala Sitharaman on IT raids on 'Samajwadi perfume' trader

New Delhi, Dec 31: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday defended IT raids at the Kanpur businessman, where nearly Rs 200 crore cash recovered from perfume maker Piyush Jain.

Speaking on the sidelines of the GST Council meeting, she said the IT raid was conducted based on actionable intelligence.

"Akhilesh Yadav should not raise doubts about the professionalism of the organization. The height of (seized) cash is proof that law enforcement agencies are working honestly... Should we wait for post-poll 'muhurta' or catch the thief today itself?," asked FM Sitharaman.

"How do you know whose money is it? Are you his partner? Because only partners know whose money is kept," she added.

Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday categorically denied any links between his party and Kanpur-based perfume trader Piyush Jain, and mockingly said the BJP got "its own businessman" raided "by mistake".

He also said the CDR (call detail record) of the businessman's phone would reveal the names of several BJP leaders who were in touch with him.

"By mistake, the BJP got its own businessman raided. Instead of SP leader Pushpraj Jain, it got Piyush Jain raided," Yadav told reporters before the start of the "Samajwadi Rath Yatra" here.

He also claimed that Samajwadi Attar (perfume) was launched by SP MLC Pushpraj Jain and not Piyush Jain. Taking a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "In a digital mistake, it got its own businessman raided."

In multiple raids by the Income Tax department and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, around Rs 257 crore in cash, 25 kg of gold and 250 kg of silver were seized from the perfume trader's house in Kanpur as well as from his house and factory in Kannauj.