New Delhi, April 3: In a strongest allegation leveled ever, the Congress party, at a late night press conference on Tuesday, said that the BJP government at the Centre has planned to unleash IT, ED and CBI on top Congress leaders and prospective candidates in the next coming days.
Speaking at media at AICC headquarters here at 11 PM, Congress General Secretary Randip Singh Surjewala said his party has “definite, credible” information that the Union government is planning to conduct IT and CBI raids on his party leaders and prospective candidates.
“But we will not be cowed down by such intimidation. We will face the challenge politically as well as legally. BJP does not have candidates. That is why it is delaying the announcement of its candidates. Having failed to meet Congress politically, the BJP is misusing the government agencies to further its electoral ends ,” Surjewala said, flanked by KPCC President D. K. Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah.
On his part, Shivakumar said the BJP government at the Centre has sent as many as 1000 officers belonging to IT, ED and CBI to different parts of Karnataka in order to conduct raids on Congress leaders and possible candidates. “But we are not afraid. We will face the BJP onslaught with all our moral courage and ethical might,” Shivakumar added.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP had already prepared the list of prospective Congress candidates and is ready to raid the residential and business premises of these leaders “in order to intimidate” them. “Congress party strongly condemns this cowardly act of the BJP. This proves that the BJP has failed to face the Congress politically,” Siddaramaiah added.
It was a matter of surprise that the Congress leaders called a late-night press conference at AICC Headquarters and both Siddaramaiah as well as Shivakumar rushed to Delhi. Congres sources told The Newz Peg that the apprehension expressed by the leaders is genuine and the party wanted to inject an element of seriousness and urgency into the issue. “That is the reason why a late-night press conference was called,” a leader explained.
EOM.
