Gowda’s son alleges I-T notice to mother

The JD(S) is the only major political party that has aligned with both the BJP and the Congress to form governments.

HD Revanna, Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) leader, on Monday said the income tax department has issued a notice to Chenamma, his mother and the wife of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda.

HD Kumaraswamy, former chief minister and JD(S) leader, said he had no information on the notice. (PTI)

“Let them (IT) issue notice to us. Now, they are issuing notice to my mother. We are growing sugarcane in our land. They should come and see,” Revanna said in Hassan, about 182 km from Bengaluru.

“I am not saying don’t serve a notice to my mother, give it and we will legally answer. Serve me one as well,” the former state minister said.

While there is no official confirmation of if the IT department had served any notice, the news of the same has added to the volatile political developments in Karnataka where the opposition has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using central agencies to target members of rival outfits.

HT reached out to the IT department but there was no comment.

HD Kumaraswamy, former chief minister and JD(S) leader, said he had no information on the notice. “I have no information about the notice but if they have served it then we should not panic. In our family, our activities are like an open book,” Kumaraswamy said in Bengaluru.

“No one can do anything if we are clean and transparent,” the former chief minister said, adding they will reply to the notice accordingly. He also underlined that the notice served to his mother should not be used for political gain.

The JD(S) is the only major political party that has aligned with both the BJP and the Congress to form governments. The party also believes that the two national parties – the BJP and Congress -- are trying to “finish off” the regional outfit.

The JD(S) is a party led by Deve Gowda and backed by the dominant Vokkaliga community, believed to be the second largest caste group in the state and found in large numbers across the old Mysuru region, where the party draws most of its electoral numbers.

“In 60 years of his political life, Deve Gowda never gave importance to money, nor did we,” Kumaraswamy said.