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Tax Dept raids just ahead of UP polls leave Akhilesh Yadav angry

Akhilesh Yadav brushes aside pre-poll raids, saying that the Samajwadi Party will not stop till the BJP is wiped out of UP

Akhilesh Yadav is an angry man. The Samajwadi Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister is irked big time by a certain act that the BJP government at the Centre has resorted to against him and his party colleagues.

As everyone knows, Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are round the corner, and that has also led parties in the fray to do all they dream of to make the most of their chances. BJP, which is in power in the state, wants to leave no stone unturned to cling on to power. This dream of clinging on to power has led the saffron party to resort to all ways to make sure a repeat victory in the state.

At least that is what Akhilesh Yadav believes so. And his anger comes as justified, going by the sudden raids unleashed by the Union government just ahead of the polls. The scene turned murky this morning as Income Tax sleuths began raids at Samajwadi Party leaders’ offices and homes. The Income Tax Department also raided some of Yadav’s personal aides too, hoping to find tax evasion proof that would unsettle the party’s run up to the polls.

Akhilesh Yadav lashes out at BJP, says it follows Congress path

Akhilesh Yadav’s anger came out in full flow soon after the raids began. He was seen venting his ire on national television, and in the process he blurted out not just against the BJP, but the Congress too, saying …”as elections approach, all these (things) begin to happen. The Tax Department has come… and then the Enforcement Directorate will come, CBI will come.”

He went on, saying that the BJP is following the Congress path. “Earlier when the Congress wanted to scare anyone, they used such tactics and the BJP is following in the footsteps of the Congress,” he added, stating that the raids are being done right before polls. “The Tax Department seems to have joined the poll battle,” he said.

Samajwadi Party leader and spokesperson Rajeev Rai, Akhilesh Yadav’s personal secretary Jainendra Yadav, and another party leader Manoj Yadav were among those who bore the brunt of the Tax Department raids this morning.

Brushing aside the BJP poll tactic, Yadav said whatever happens, the Samajwadi Party will not stop till the BJP is wiped out of UP.

Analysts see Akhilesh Yadav as major force in UP polls

The raids are seen by Yadav and his party as a bid to malign them just before the election process started. It may be recalled that Akhilesh Yadav had scored some brownie points a while ago in the election battle scene in UP when he lashed out at the projects recently launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the state. He had then stated that all the projects inaugurated by Modi were the ones that were initiated during his tenure as Chief Minister.

With Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party being seen as a major contender for a win this time around by at least a few poll analysts, BJP could have a tough battle ahead. Yadav’s lambasting of the pre-poll raids needs to be seen in this context.

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Sanjeev Ramachandran

A journalist with 23 years of experience, Sanjeev has worked with reputed media houses such as Business Standard, The Ne More »
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