‘PM Modi’s real surgical strike’: Kumaraswamy on IT raids in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Mar 28: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy who made stunning claims about the Centre deploying The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Karnataka for I-T raids, has yet again slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that he is playing a "revenge game".

"PM Narendra Modi's real surgical strike is out in the open through IT dept raids. The constitutional post offer for IT officer Balakrishna helped the PM in his revenge game. Highly deplorable to use govt machinery, corrupt officials to harrass opponents during election time," the Chief Minister tweeted again this morning.

In today's pre-dawn searches, income tax officials along with CRPF personnel came to the homes of Karnataka Minor Irrigation Minister CS Puttaraju in Mandya district and his nephew's in Mysuru, news agency PTI reported. "I'm not deterred by the raids, which are election related. I would like to know which BJP leader's house in Karnataka has been raided?" said Mr Puttaraju, who is in charge of Mandya district from where the Chief Minister's son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, is fighting his first election.

The searches are also reportedly going on in the homes of associates of Public Works Department Minister HD Revanna, brother of the chief minister and son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Mr Revanna's son Prajwal is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Hassan constituency.

Last month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee staged a sit-in after a CBI team knocked on the doors of former Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar to question him in chit fund scam cases, in what Ms Banerjee termed was the Modi government's alleged vindictiveness towards opposition-ruled states.

Karnataka will vote in the Lok Sabha elections on April 18 and 23. Results will be out on May 23.