IT Raid on AAP MLA's Premises For Alleged Tax Evasion

The Income Tax department on Wednesday conducted searches on the premises of AAP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar on charges of alleged tax evasion after it received "actionable inputs" with regard to the MLA's transactions.

The searches were carried out on at least three premises of the Chhatarpur MLA in the national capital by teams having 40 income tax and police officials.

Tanwar who had been a BJP councillor had defected to AAP in 2014. Meanwhile, AAP workers gathered at MLA Tanwar's house protesting against the raids.

The party termed the development as "political vendetta" by the Centre against AAP MLAs.

Reacting to the development, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, "Modiji you deploy, the CBI, Delhi Police, IB, ED and Income Tax, but we will keep on with our work."

AAP leader Ashish Khetan compared the Centre's actions as an undeclared emergency. "I dont think the Modi government has spared any agency in the country which has not gone after the AAP government. There are big scams, where congress was involved but all the scam-tainted people are roaming free." Khetan said.

Senior AAP leader Ashutosh said Singh's residence was gheraoed as if Singh was a terrorist. He also accused the Delhi Police of "misbehaving" with arrested AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan's wife.

Eleven AAP MLAs have been arrested in different cases since the party came to power in Delhi for a second time in February last year.

Earlier, Delhi Police arrested Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan in connection with allegations by a woman that he had tried to mow her down with his car.

Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav too was arrested by Punjab Police in connection with the alleged Malerkotla sacrilege incident.

"NDMC vide-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar was never arrested by the Delhi Police in the MM Khan murder case while R P Singh, a former BJP MLA who was accused of assaulting a DJB engineer, was never summoned," Chadha said.

He claimed, "Of the 78 ministers in the Narendra Modi government Cabinet, 14 face criminal charges. Of the 282 BJP MPs, 98 have criminals charges."