Naresh Arora, the co-founder of DesignBoxed — the image consultancy firm hired by Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar — has called the Income Tax “raids” carried out last week against the company as a political vendetta. The I-T officials had carried out surveys in the company's offices in Bengaluru and other parts of the country including in Chhattisgarh and Mohali. Even Naresh’s hotel room at the JW Marriott Hotel in Bengaluru was visited by tax officials on October 12. Naresh said the raids were carried out and his company was targeted only because they have worked with the Congress party.
In his statement, he said, ”I want to place on record that the Income Tax raids on DesignBoxed and me and our associates found absolutely nothing — no unaccounted valuables of any kind. We are law-abiding citizens and proud taxpayers. The raids were so obviously political.”
He added, “They targeted me and my colleagues only because we have been working for the opposition and mainly Congress party. Apart from trying to find anything remotely incriminatory against top Congress leaders, the raids were intended to intimidate a self-made professional and political campaign management firm so that they don't work for India's main opposition party. It is unfortunate that even after being so powerful the ruling dispensation needs to intimidate those working with the opposition. An outright abuse of tax agencies for political aims is not what democracies do.” He further said the “harassment” they have suffered is part of the process of stifling the opposition through state power.
In another case, the I-T department had carried out search and seizure operations at the offices of three contractors in Bengaluru. While the I-T officials did not disclose further details, it has come to light that these three contractors had links with Umesh, a former aide of ex-Chief MInister BS Yediyurappa. While the Congress is the key rival party in the state and the country, the BJP High Command’s love and hate relationship with Yediyurappa is also no secret.