The Income Tax department today conducted raids and surveys on at least 22 locations in Delhi and adjoining areas on charges of alleged benami deals worth Rs 1,000 crore linked to RJD chief Lalu Prasad and others.
The department, officials said, is set to slap in this case provisions of the newly-enacted Benami Transactions Act, 1988, which became operational from November 1 last year and carries a maximum punishment of seven years in jail and a fine. The action under this new law will be over and above the legal proceedings under the Income Tax Act, 1961, which is mandated to check charges of domestic tax evasion. Lalu Prasad however sought to put up a brave front amid the department's raids , He tweeted that BJP do not have the courage to touch him.
ILLEGALITIES UNDER CHIAMBARAM ?
On the same day , The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided 14 properties of former finance minister P. Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in Chennai. The raids took place after a first information report (FIR) was registered on Monday, CBI said.
While CBI did not confirm whether or not anything was recovered from the raids, it stated that the raids were in connection with foreign investments received by INX Media—which was formerly owned by media baron Peter Mukerjea—wherein Karti Chidambaram had allegedly received kickbacks from the media house, at the time when P. Chidambaram was the finance minister.
Kumar Ketkar said on a national channel that Chidambaram was attacking Modi and ruling goverment single handedly
After UPA lost power , P Chidambaram has been spending his time as a columnist for The Indian Express under the title Across the aisle. He used to raise issues agains BJP through his column.