Eshwar Khandre, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, addressing presspersons in Kalaburagi city on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
A day after Income Tax Department officials raided the Bidar District Central Cooperative (DCC) bank, headed by Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s brother Amar Khandre in Bidar, the Minister alleged that the raid was “politically motivated”.
Addressing presspersons in Kalaburagi city on Saturday, Mr. Khandre said, “DCC bank was focusing on the welfare of three lakh farmers in the district. My brother [Amar Khandre] won the elections a few months ago. After assuming office, he implemented a slew of measures to improve the financial conditions of the bank.”
The IT raid is an attempt to cripple my son and Congress candidate Sagar Khandre, who is getting a good response from all sections of people across the Bidar Lok Sabha constituency. Unable to bear the growing support for Mr. Sagar in the upcoming elections, the BJP-led government has used the IT department as a weapon to favour the BJP candidate and Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba, who has been boycotted by his own party leaders in the Constituency. He accused the BJP of creating trouble out of fear and desperation of losing the polls.
The BJP-led Union government was misusing the Income Tax department, Crime Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to target Opposition parties.
Mr. Amar Khandre had assumed office just four months ago, and he was fixing the old issues of the bank. There was no question of any illegality in the functioning of the bank. In fact, the IT raid is an anti-farmer move as it would hit the functioning of the bank, he added.
Replying to a question, Mr Khandre said that there was no substantial evidence or any allegations against the bank, so the intention of raid is clearly “politically motivated”, and the opponent candidate of BJP is not going to benefit in any way from such attempts, he said, and added that the bank officials are fully cooperating for the investigation.
Mr. Khandre appealed to his supporters to cooperate with the investigation and not to take stage any protest against the raid.
He also exuded his confidence that Sagar Khandre from Bidar Lok Sabha Constituency and Radhakrishna Doddamani from Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency will win the upcoming elections with a huge margin.
Minister for Municipal Administration Rahim Khan and Legislator B.R. Patil were present.