Sharad Pawar says I-T searches could be result of Lakhimpur violence criticism

Pune: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the Income Tax (I-T) Department's raids on various firms linked to his family members could be the Centre's reaction to his strong position on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, which he had likened to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

"I have strongly condemned the UP (Lakhimpur Kheri) incident, where farmers were killed. I even compared it to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Also, the state government has condemned it in its cabinet meeting... It cannot be ruled out that the I-T department's action against various firms in the state is a reaction to our strong condemnation of the UP incident," Pawar said.

Pawar who was talking to the reporters at Baramati, his home turf also said the inquiry of persons who were not related to the financial transactions under the lens was "excessive use of power", and urged people to decide till when they would accept it.

"The I-T department has the right to exercise its power to inquire people who are related and responsible for the firms and their financial transactions. But the inquiry of persons who are not related to the financial transactions is excessive use of power and people should decide till when they are going to accept such blatant use of power," he said.

Official sources said that searches were conducted till evening across Mumbai, Pune, Satara and a few other cities in Maharashtra and Goa. The premises linked to business groups such as Daund sugar mill, Shivalik and Jarandeshwar Sahakari Sugar Karkhana (Jarandeshwar SSK) and businesses linked to Ajit Pawar's sisters in Pune and Kolhapur were being searched, they said.

Talking about the seizure of drugs from a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast last week, Pawar said he saw some people who did not belong to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) talking away the accused in the case. He called it a political party's interference in the central agency's work.

His party had earlier questioned the presence of two persons along with the NCB team during the raid and alleged that one of them was a BJP member.

"It was claimed that those party workers were there as witnesses. It is okay to have witnessed during the raid or in the court, but their role in taking the accused to the NCB office highlights that party people are involved in the agency work," Pawar alleged.