New Delhi: The Income Tax department on Wednesday raided AAP leader and Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot’s Vasant Kunj residence for alleged irregularities in buying 1000 buses.
As per initial reports, the Income Tax department sleuths raided at least 16 locations in and around the national capital. The searches are being conducted as part of a tax evasion probe against two construction firms linked to the minister and others, the officials said.
The raids have started from 7.30 am.
Gahlot is the minister for transport, law and revenue and is an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from the Najafgarh Assembly Constituency.
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Meanwhile, AAP is calling the raids a political vendetta.
Arunodoy, the media advisor to Deputy CM Manish Sisodia while reacting on the raids said, “IT raids on Minister Kailash Gahlot. When will you understand Sahab, you won’t be able to bog AAP down with these tactics. AAP has been counting raids since it put you the mat in Delhi and you were left red-faced on the massive defeat.”
IT raids on Minister Kailash Gahlot. When will you understand Sahab, you won’t be able to bog AAP down with these tactics. AAP has been counting raids since it put you the mat in Delhi and you were left red faced on the massive defeat.
— arunoday (@arunodayprakash) October 10, 2018
AAP Chief and Delhi Arvind Kejriwal also reacted on the raids and took a jibe at the government using Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya as his political weapon.
नीरव मोदी, माल्या से दोस्ती और हम पर रेड?
मोदी जी, आपने मुझ पे, सत्येन्द्र पे और मनीष पे भी तो रेड करवाई थीं? उनका क्या हुआ? कुछ मिला? नहीं मिला? तो अगली रेड करने के पहले दिल्ली वालों से उनकी चुनी सरकार को निरंतर परेशान करने के लिए माफ़ी तो माँग लीजिए? https://t.co/GUGEb0dwL5
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 10, 2018
Gahlot had earlier made headlines after allegedly “rebuking” senior IAS officer and transport secretary Varsha Joshi during a meeting. Joshi, who had been at the centre of a similar confrontation earlier, faced Gahlot’s ire during the meeting to review replies to be given to transport department-related questions of MLAs in the monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly beginning August 6.
Joshi refused to comment on the matter when contacted. Efforts to seek Gahlot’s version of the matter elicited no response. The forum of transport department associations accused Gahlot of “misbehaving” with Joshi and sought his apology in a statement.
Back then, the Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta also accused Gahlot of “humiliating and mentally harassing” Joshi.
“Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot misbehaved and shouted at Transport Secretary Varsha Joshi in the meeting held at Delhi Secretariat. He shouted at her to remain within her limits and said that he will teach her how to work in service,” Gupta had said in a statement.