KANPUR: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that income tax raids on SP functionaries were a result of the huge crowds that turn up for the Samajwadi Vijay yatra.
Talking about the Income Tax searches at the residence of SP MLC and perfume trader Pushparaj Jain who launched the Samajwadi Perfume, on Friday, he said frequency of such targeted harassment of political leaders will increase as elections draw close.
He said, “I will urge the Election Commission that if it comes within the purview of the model code of conduct, then these raids should be deferred till elections are over.”
Akhilesh said the raids are a result of the huge crowds that turn up for the Samajwadi Vijay yatra raths. “Look at the crowds that are coming for their (BJP) Rath Yatra. One can see more people standing around a roadside stall selling chowmein,” he said. “This has rattled the BJP.” He went on to describe the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate as coalition partners of the BJP.
Responding to a media query on Union home minister Amit Shah’s comment that Akhilesh cannot stop the construction of the temple no matter how hard he tries, the former UP CM said no institution or government in India can dare to stop the construction of the temple.
“The Supreme Court has said that the temple should be built. No one in India can stop that. However, if wrong people are in control there will be irregularities in land procurement in the name of the temple,” he said.
He said if the Supreme Court decision on Ram Temple had come during the SP regime, the temple construction would have been completed within a year and there would have been no irregularities in land procurement as well.
“The company which has constructed the highway is involved in construction of the temple. If they (BJP) wanted, it would have been built in a year. Had it been in the SP government, we would have definitely built the temple in a year,” Akhilesh said, adding that the BJP government does not want the temple to be built, they only want votes using the issue. He said in the SP regime Agra Lucknow Expressway was constructed in a record 22 months.
Describing the recent appointment of the chief secretary as a result of a tug-of-war between the state and the Centre, Akhilesh said: “Before the elections, Delhi (centre) wants to take control of the administration in the state so they have appointed a chief secretary two days before his retirement and given him an extension.” He said earlier too the Centre got an officer to seek premature retirement with a promise that he would become the deputy chief minister in UP but the man could not even get a bungalow of his choice allotted to him.
He said the BJP was targeting perfume traders through Income Tax raids because the party is allergic to fragrance and only wants stench and wants to defame the perfume industry in Kannauj.
“The raids are publicized taking a toll on the particular trader’s reputation. BJP has propaganda machinery like no other political party in India. People never come to know if the raids had yielded anything or not,” he said.
He said the recent recovery of bundles of cash from the premises of a perfume trader show that demonetisation has been a total failure.
“There are reports saying that the recovered cash has been accepted as turnover … but BJP has used this raid to make political statements. People in Kannauj can identify Jaichands and teach them a lesson in elections,” he said.
Talking about the Income Tax searches at the residence of SP MLC and perfume trader Pushparaj Jain who launched the Samajwadi Perfume, on Friday, he said frequency of such targeted harassment of political leaders will increase as elections draw close.
He said, “I will urge the Election Commission that if it comes within the purview of the model code of conduct, then these raids should be deferred till elections are over.”
Akhilesh said the raids are a result of the huge crowds that turn up for the Samajwadi Vijay yatra raths. “Look at the crowds that are coming for their (BJP) Rath Yatra. One can see more people standing around a roadside stall selling chowmein,” he said. “This has rattled the BJP.” He went on to describe the Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate as coalition partners of the BJP.
Responding to a media query on Union home minister Amit Shah’s comment that Akhilesh cannot stop the construction of the temple no matter how hard he tries, the former UP CM said no institution or government in India can dare to stop the construction of the temple.
“The Supreme Court has said that the temple should be built. No one in India can stop that. However, if wrong people are in control there will be irregularities in land procurement in the name of the temple,” he said.
He said if the Supreme Court decision on Ram Temple had come during the SP regime, the temple construction would have been completed within a year and there would have been no irregularities in land procurement as well.
“The company which has constructed the highway is involved in construction of the temple. If they (BJP) wanted, it would have been built in a year. Had it been in the SP government, we would have definitely built the temple in a year,” Akhilesh said, adding that the BJP government does not want the temple to be built, they only want votes using the issue. He said in the SP regime Agra Lucknow Expressway was constructed in a record 22 months.
Describing the recent appointment of the chief secretary as a result of a tug-of-war between the state and the Centre, Akhilesh said: “Before the elections, Delhi (centre) wants to take control of the administration in the state so they have appointed a chief secretary two days before his retirement and given him an extension.” He said earlier too the Centre got an officer to seek premature retirement with a promise that he would become the deputy chief minister in UP but the man could not even get a bungalow of his choice allotted to him.
He said the BJP was targeting perfume traders through Income Tax raids because the party is allergic to fragrance and only wants stench and wants to defame the perfume industry in Kannauj.
“The raids are publicized taking a toll on the particular trader’s reputation. BJP has propaganda machinery like no other political party in India. People never come to know if the raids had yielded anything or not,” he said.
He said the recent recovery of bundles of cash from the premises of a perfume trader show that demonetisation has been a total failure.
“There are reports saying that the recovered cash has been accepted as turnover … but BJP has used this raid to make political statements. People in Kannauj can identify Jaichands and teach them a lesson in elections,” he said.
.