Income Tax raids under way at homes of SP members; Akhilesh says BJP 'scared' of defeat in UP polls

Income Tax sleuths on Saturday raided the offices and residences of several close aides of Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav in different parts of Uttar Pradesh even as the former CM termed the raids as reflective of BJP's 'fear' of losing the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

Those raided included senior SP leader and party spokesman Rajiv Rai, Akhilesh's personal secretary Jainendra Yadav and another SP leader Manoj Yadav.

According to sources, an I-T team from Varanasi raided the residence of Rai — who runs several educational institutions in Karnataka — at Mau, about 350 kilometres from here, in the early hours. Rai is considered to be close to Akhilesh.

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Raids were also conducted at the residence and offices of Jainendra Yadav and Manoj Yadav in Mainpuri, Agra and Lucknow, sources said. A few other aides of Akhilesh were also raided by the I-T sleuths.

Akhilesh, who was on a visit to Raebareli, said that the raids show that the BJP feared defeat in the Assembly polls.

"It is the Income Tax now... ED and CBI will follow next... why was the raid not conducted earlier?... why so close to the polls.....now the IT department has also taken a plunge into the state assembly elections...BJP will be wiped out in the polls," he told reporters.

"The raids will increase with the increase in BJP's fear of losing the polls.....all the 22 crore residents of UP are against the BJP...will the IT raid all these 22 crore people," he asked.

The SP president said that the BJP government had used the central agencies against its opponents in the recently concluded assembly polls in West Bengal as well, but the BJP had to bite the dust there.

Rajiv Rai also termed the raids as an act of "political vendetta".

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