Bengaluru, DHNS: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday charged the Centre with targeting the Congress ministers and leaders in Karnataka by misusing the Income Tax department. “I-T raids on ministers and party leaders are politically motivated. The Centre is conspiring against the Congress government,” he told reporters, who sought his reaction on the I-T department conducting raids on the Congress ministers and leaders. He also sought to know why the raids were not done against the BJP leaders.

“Aren’t there any taxpayers in the BJP?...Or is it that I-T officials cannot see anything except the Congress leaders?” he asked. Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, whose residence was raided by the I-T department a few months ago, however, refused to reply to a query whether the Centre is misusing the I-T department, Enforcement Directorate and CBI.

On the controversial diary reportedly seized by the I-T department from Congress MLC K Govindraj’s residence, he sought to know how the BJP leaders can access documents that are in possession of the I-T department. The BJP had charged that the diary has names of ministers, including Shivakumar, who paid huge donations to the Congress high command. “The I-T sleuths had served a notice on me on the diary issue. They asked me about my name in the diary and I replied to their queries. DKS may mean many things. There are 20 men named?D?K?Shivakumar in my village alone,” he said.