Arun Jaitley dismisses charge of vendetta, backs agencies conducting searches

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley dismissed opposition allegations that the government was conducting a vendetta against political rivals and strongly backed the agencies conducting raids across the nation. Action isn’t taken unless there is evidence to suspect wrongdoing, he said.

“Unless there is a substantial basis and a reason to suspect that either there is evasion or a crime has been committed, the departments don’t act because ultimately whatever action that is taken has to bear some results,” he told reporters when asked about the raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation on former finance minister P Chidambaram and his son and by the income tax department on entities connected to relatives of former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad.

Jaitley added: “People in high positions acquiring assets through shell companies is not a small matter and I think the day of reckoning has come for many... they will all be made accountable.” The finance minister didn’t give any details on the IT raids. “In the finance ministry or revenue department or the Central Board Direct Taxes all the actions which are a part of proceedings under the Income Tax Act... We don’t comment on individual cases. I can only give a general statement, since you asked about the CBI, or whatever the revenue department does.”