The searches by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) and the Income Tax(IT) department were condemned by the opposition as "political vendetta" by the Centre with the Congress saying it will not be cowed down by the politics of "revenge" which was the "DNA of the government."
But the NDA government hit back, saying today was the day of accountability for the "corrupt." Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stoutly defended the searches, asserting that the "day of reckoning" has come for many and they will be held accountable for their misdeeds.
Separately, the Income Tax department conducted raids and surveys on at least 22 locations in Delhi and adjoining areas in connection with alleged benami deals stated to be worth Rs 1,000 crore linked to Lalu Prasad, who is the chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal, and some of his family members. RJD is a partner of the ruling alliance in Bihar that also comprised the JD(U) and the Congress.
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The FIR related to charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct. The CBI, which searched Chidambaram's home in Nugambakkam in Chennai, also carried out searches at the house of Peter Mukerjea, a former media baron, in Mumbai, sources said.
P Chidambaram came out with a strong statement in response to the searches, saying the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son to silence his voice.
The FIPB approval was granted in "hundreds of cases", the senior Congress leader said.
"The government, using the CBI and other agencies, is targeting my son and his friends...The government's aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organisations," he said.
The five secretaries who constitute the FIPB, the officials of the FIPB secretariat and the competent authority in each case are public officials, Chidambaram said, adding that there was no allegation against any of them.
"There is no allegation against me," he added.
Karti said he has not done anything wrong and alleged a political vendetta behind the CBI raids against him in connection with the INX Media case.
"They have not seized any documents and cannot prove any charges against me. I have not done anything wrong," Karti told reporters in Chennai.
The party accused the BJP of being blinded by revenge to target its opponents and said that it would continue to expose the saffron party before the people.
"The truth is that revenge has become the DNA of the BJP government.
"We want to reiterate that neither P Chidambaram, nor any Congress leader or any other leader of opposition, would be deterred or cowed down from fear of the politics of revenge and vendetta," the AICC incharge of communications, Randeep Surjewala said. West Bengal chief minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee also accused the Centre of unleashing political vendetta.
The former union finance minister's columns "did not exactly set the Yamuna on fire", Goyal told reporters and took a dig at Chidambaram, saying that he will be accountable for his "son stroke."
Rejecting allegations of political vendetta levelled by Prasad and Chidambaram, Goyal claimed that the BJP government never comes in the way of law and that investigation agencies work independently.
In the national capital, tax department teams visited posh localities in New Friends Colony, Sainik Farms and few farmhouses in Bijwasan and south Delhi areas.
Tax department officials said some of the properties allegedly belong to the kin of Lalu Prasad in a 'benami' way.
Prasad, however, sought to put up a brave face, saying he was "not scared at all" and will continue to fight against the "fascist forces".
The IT officials said the searches are also being conducted at the premises of the son of RJD MP P C Gupta and few other businessmen involved in the purchase and sale of real estate assets.