Alleging that the BJP-led Union government was misusing the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate for settling political scores, members of the Congress staged a protest in the districts of Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Uttar Kannada on Friday.
In Hubballi, members of the Hubballi Dharwad Urban District unit staged a demonstration outside the office of the Income Tax Commissioner at Navanagar. However, when they tried to lay seize to the office, the police took them into preventive custody.
The Congress members alleged that the Union government was misusing both the Central agencies against BJP’s political opponents.
AICC member Deepak Chinchore alleged that the government had indulged in vengeance politics, especially after its failure on all fronts was being highlighted and people had started realising their folly of voting for the BJP. In order to prevent the resurgence of the Congress, the BJP was indulging in vindictive politics, he said.
Kusumavathi Shivalli, MLA, presidents of Hubballi Dharwad rural and urban district units Anilkumar Patil and Altaf Halwoor, former KPYCC president Sadanand Danganavar, other office-bearers, including Rajat Ullagaddimath, Nagaraj Gouri, and Deepa Gouri, and took part in the agitation.
In other districts, demonstrations were staged by Congress members and leaders and memoranda addressed to the President of India seeking his intervention to stop vindictive politics by the Union government were submitted to the authorities. Through the memoranda they demanded dropping of all “illegal” ED proceedings against the Congress leaders and condemned the police action against the protesters at AICC headquarters in New Delhi.
