I-T conducts raids on close aides of Sena ministers Aaditya Thackeray, Anil Parab

Mumbai: Multiple teams of the Income Tax Department conducted searches at over 20 premises in the state, including 12 in Mumbai, belonging to those believed to be closely associated with Shiv Sena ministers Aaditya Thackeray and Anil Parab

Mumbai: Multiple teams of the Income Tax Department conducted searches at over 20 premises in the state, including 12 in Mumbai, belonging to those believed to be closely associated with Shiv Sena ministers Aaditya Thackeray and Anil Parab. Sena has dubbed the raids as an “attack” from Delhi.

The premises of Rahul Kanal, the trustee of Shri Sai Sansthan Trust and a key member of the Yuva Sena, and Bajrang Kharamate, deputy RTO officer, were raided by the I-T. (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were also deputed at some places that were searched. Agency sources said that the raid was to look into suspected tax evasion.

Cable businessman and Sena functionary Sadanand Kadam’s Andheri residence was searched. He is believed to be close to state transport minister Anil Parab.

The premises of Rahul Kanal, the trustee of Shri Sai Sansthan Trust and a key member of the Yuva Sena, and Bajrang Kharamate, deputy RTO officer, were raided by the I-T.

Parab’s Chartered Accountant also saw raids by the tax agency.

The searches are likely to continue on Wednesday, department sources said.

Sena minister Aaditya Thackeray dubbed the central agency as “campaign agents” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Even before this, such attacks have happened in Maharashtra. This has been going on ever since they sensed that elections are around the corner, and when they feared the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Such attacks have happened in Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, West Bengal and now since elections are due in Maharashtra, the central agencies, which is a part of BJP’s election machinery, are here. Maharashtra will not bow down or stop,” Thackeray said, adding that this is “no longer a democracy”.

Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut said that such raids are expected to continue till BMC elections are held. “Today, raids by the Income Tax department is happening at several places. We think that till BMC elections happen such raids will happen in every ward [of Mumbai],” he said.

Raut said that no matter how much pressure is put, the MVA government will not bow down before the Centre.

“No matter how many conspiracies, how much might you put in to defame use, but everyone right from the chief minister to the party worker, nobody will back down. The government will remain strong. These actions against us are done keeping the BMC elections in mind, but it will boomerang on you (BJP),” he said.

Meanwhile, BJP legislators staged a protest outside the Maharashtra Assembly demanding the resignation of cabinet minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik. Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case involving fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim.

Notably, the Sena and BJP severed their decades-old ties in 2019 over power-sharing issues, following which the former allied with the NCP and Congress to come to power in Maharashtra.

(With inputs from Swapnil Rawal)