I-T Raids At Karnataka Minister House, Eagleton Resort Housing Gujarat Congress MLAs 

Bengaluru: In what can be understood as a blatant political witch hunt by the ruling BJP at the Centre, the Income Tax department on Wednesday conducted raids on properties of power minister DK Shivakumar in Bengaluru. Shivakumar is taking care of the Gujarat Congress MLAs who were housed here after they were flown to Bengaluru to avoid defections.

The I-T raids began at 7am today at Eagalten Resort.

Around 44 Congress MLAs arrived in Bengaluru on Saturday with a view to keep them from resigning or joining the BJP ahead of Rajya Sabha election in Gujarat. The lawmakers have been in the Eagleton resort located at around 50km from central Bengaluru. Congress chose Bengaluru as a safe camp for its MLAs as the party is in ruling in Karnataka.

The minister was in-charge of hospitality for the MLAs in Bengaluru.

Houses of DK Suresh and MLC Ravi were also raided. He is a relative of DK Shivakumar and was in-charge of food for MLAs in the resort.

The department is looking for cash flow and whether money was paid to put these MLAs at a confined place by Karnataka Congress unit.

While the opponents said that the legislators were brought to the resort against their wishes, the MLAs said that this wasn't true. "We are all here because the BJP has created an atmosphere of fear in Gujarat, luring legislators with huge amounts of money, misusing government machinery to threaten legislators," one of the Congress MLAs said.

The Eagleton resort is an exclusive one with charges for executive suites as high as Rs8500/day, which includes meals, according to the resort's website. The deluxe rooms come for Rs7500 a day.

‘BJP Offered Rs15 Crore To Each MLA For Defection’

Earlier, Congress chief whip Jyotiraditya Scindia alleged that each of the Congress MLAs in Gujarat were offered Rs15 crore if they support the BJP.

The party claimed in Lok Sabha that its MLAs in Gujarat were being offered Rs 15 crore in return of support to the BJP and being pressurised by the ruling party in the state.

Congress shifted its MLAs to Karnataka fearing poaching allegedly by the BJP ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha elections.

Ruling BJP has fielded three members including party president Amit Shah, union minister Smriti Irani and a rebel Congress MLA for the election. Ahmed Patel, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political adviser, is seeking re-election.