BJP trying to weaken Cong via tax terrorism: Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the BJP is trying to weaken the Congress through ’tax terrorism’ as they believe that by doing this, they can win the election.

Bengaluru Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using organisations like the Income Tax department, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and CBI to weaken the Congress as it is “fearful of impending defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections”.

CM Siddaramaiah said that with the Lok Sabha election inching closer, the I-T department is becoming more active and is using ‘tax terrorism’ against opposition parties while ignoring the BJP’s tax violations. (Hindustan Times)

According to an official statement by the chief minister’s office (CMO), Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that the BJP is trying to weaken the Congress through ’tax terrorism’ as they believe that by doing this, they can win the election.

“The CM said, the BJP, fearful of impending defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, has been misusing autonomous institutions like the I-T department, ED, and CBI to undermine the Congress. As part of this tactic, they have unleashed ‘tax terrorism’ on our party. The BJP is under the illusion that by weakening our party, it can win the election,” the CMO said.

He further said that as the Lok Sabha election gets closer, the I-T department is becoming more active and is using ‘tax terrorism’ against opposition parties while ignoring the BJP’s tax violations.

“Siddaramaiah said, that as the election approaches, the I-T department has become hyperactive, using ‘tax terrorism’ as a tool against opposition parties, including TMC (Trinamool Congress) and CPI (Communist Party of India). However, the same I-T department, which aggressively targets opposition parties, mysteriously turned a blind eye to the BJP’s tax violations. The public is not so ignorant as to not question who is blindfolding the I-T department,” the statement read.

Siddaramaiah also accused the I-T department of ignoring the ‘Yediyurappa diaries’ found in Karnataka and the ‘Birla-Sahara’ diary that suggests Narendra Modi received benefits.

“The I-T department, which levies accusations of tax violations against certain Congress leaders citing supposed diary entries, overlooks the Yediyurappa diaries exposed in Karnataka, as well as the ‘Birla-Sahara’ diary that suggests Narendra Modi as a beneficiary. Why have these not caught the department’s attention?” the CM said.

He accused the BJP of wrongly using money through electoral bonds and distracting people from this big scam by falsely accusing opposition parties of evading income tax.

According to the statement, “The CM said, It is public knowledge that the ruling BJP has misappropriated thousands of crores through electoral bonds, misusing institutions like the I-T, ED, and CBI. However, now, in order to divert the people’s attention from this huge scam, the BJP government is making false accusations of income tax evasion with the malicious intention of portraying the opposition parties as guilty.”

Taking a hit at the BJP, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP is built on people who evade taxes, destabilise banks, plunder mines, trade on the black market, and rob others. He further said that in the past five years, the BJP government has written off around ₹10.09 lakh crore of bank loans of fraudsters like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. “The public deserves to know how much kickback the BJP received from these individuals.”

The CM said that while the “true power” of Congress is the support it gets from the grassroot, the BJP “leans on financial clout”. “The BJP’s foundation rests on tax evaders, bank destabilisers, mining plunderers, black market traders, and robbers.”

“The BJP has become a washing machine that swallows corrupt money and issues certificates of honesty to the corrupt. Joining the BJP seems to cleanse all sins, allowing continued corruption and embezzlement without any legal consequences or investigations,” the statement quoted the CM as saying.

“The BJP has ascended to and preserved its position of power through the misappropriated funds of these fraudsters. ‘Operation Kamala’ in Karnataka stands as a prominent example of this,” the CM added.

Responding to the Chief Minister, a senior BJP leader said on condition of anonymity that the statements by the Congress leader shows that he has already accepted his party’s defeat in the upcoming elections. “Siddaramaiah is already looking for reasons for blame for his party’s defeat. This makes it clear that we will win the elections with a landslide majority,” said BJP legislator.