Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday, 31 December responded to Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav's allegations around the GST raid on properties of Kanpur businessman Piyush Jain, saying that the raids were conducted at the right places.
"Is former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav scared and shaken due to these searches?" news agency ANI quoted the FM as saying.
Yadav on Tuesday had denied any links with Piyush Jain, and sneered at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had raided "its own businessman by mistake."
Reacting to the aspersions, the FM said, NDTV reported, on Friday, "How do you know whose money is it? Are you his partner? Because only partners know whose money is kept."
She asserted that the cash uncovered was "not the BJP's money."
'I-T Raids on SP MLC Pushpraj Jain Underway'
The Union Minister also added that Income Tax raids are being carried out on properties of perfume businessmen and SP MLC Pushpraj Jain and others.
"Unconnected materials are surfacing in today's IT raids," she asserted.
Slamming the SP chief further, she said, "He should not raise doubts about the professionalism of the organisation. The height of (seized) cash is proof that law enforcement agencies are working honestly... Should we wait for post-poll 'muhurta' or catch the thief today itself?," ANI quoted.
(With inputs from ANI and NDTV.)
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