Delhi/Lucknow: On Tuesday, the Income Tax department carried out raids at the properties linked to BSP chief Mayawati's former secretary Netram. The searches were conducted on 12 locations in Delhi and Lucknow. The retired IAS officer is suspected of evading tax amounting to Rs 100 crores. However, Netram, a 1979 batch IAS officer, was believed to be close to Mayawati during her tenure as the Uttar Pradesh CM from 2007 and 2012 and also held key positions during the said time period.
It is to be noted that in January, the Enforcement Directorate had launched a probe over the construction of the massive statues of elephants and BSP icons, which were built during Mayawati's tenure in Uttar Pradesh. The ED had raided at least six locations in state capital Lucknow in connection with the matter. The raids in connection with the BSP statues had taken place just weeks after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had initiated an inquiry into the role of Samajwadi Party leader and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav in an alleged illegal mining scam. Notably, Akhilesh's SP and Mayawati's BSP are in alliance in Uttar Pradesh, along with Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
However, both Akhilesh and Mayawati have accused the BJP-led Centre of using investigative agencies to target political opponents and to attack the opposition 'gathbandhan' or alliance. Mayawati had previoulsy said, "Petty politics and political conspiracy are not new for the BJP. The people of the country have understood it and they will teach the BJP a lesson in the Lok Sabha polls."
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