In the Rajya Sabha today, Opposition members storm the well of the House to protest against income tax raids on Karnataka energy Minister DK Shivakumar's residence in Kanakapura.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is present in the Lok Sabha today.

The Income Tax department conducted searches at multiple locations in Karnataka and Delhi related to the minister. who is hosting 44 Congress MLAs from Gujarat at a resort near Bengaluru.

The raids are being conducted in connection with a tax evasion probe case. I-T officials said Rs 5 crore cash was recovered from the Delhi residence of Shivakumar.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha, lashed out against the BJP saying it should conduct raids on residences of those people from the BJP who are offering Rs 15 crore.
 
Congress MP Anand Sharma said the Shivakumar and his brother, an elected representative, were coordinating the stay of the Gujarat MLAs and that is why it is a targeted timing. "It is now becoming a trend to blatantly misuse powers of the state," Sharma said.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley told the House, "No MLA was searched, only one particular Karnataka minister was searched."

Ahmed Patel accused the BJP of indulging in an unprecedented witch-hunt to win one Rajya Sabha seat. Patel, who is contesting the Rajya Sabha polls from Gujarat, said the I-T raids on the Congress minister, at whose guest house the Congress MLAs from Gujarat are staying, shows the utter desperation and frustration of BJP. Patel, who is also Congress President Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, is re-contesting the Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat.

A statement by the income tax department said the timing of the search was decided well in advance and had nothing to do with the Gujarat MLAs staying at the resort. Astrologer Dwarakanath, the minister's brother have also been raided.

The Congress had rushed the lawmakers to Bengaluru late on Friday night after six MLAs quit the party in Gujarat ahead of the Rajya Sabha election and the state polls later this year.


Image: I-T raids underway at Karnataka energy Minister DK Shivakumar's residence in Kanakapura, Sadashivanagar.