Oppn calls the IT raids on Azam “vendetta,” while the BJP supports the move

Azam Khan, a veteran of the Samajwadi Party (SP), and individuals connected to him were the targets of over 30 income tax raids that took place across numerous sites in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The searches sparked political controversy, with the BJP supporting them and the opposition alleging political retribution.

Azam was backed by the Samajwadi Party (SP), who referred to him as the “voice of truth.”

“Azam Khan sahib has always strived to ensure that children have a brighter future. He is the voice of truth. He established the institution for this reason. We are together with him today since he has always battled against communal forces, the SP said in a post on X.

“The BJP administration must cease using centralized forces abusively and put an end to its authoritarian style. Remember that tyrants do eventually face their adversary. Soon after the raids started, the SP wrote, “The people will react to this.

Akhilesh Yadav, the head of the SP, predicted that “the raids and action against opposition leaders would increase with the same intensity with which this government would weaken.”

The Samajwadi Party leader Sudhakar Singh, who just won the Ghosi by-election, didn’t say much.

He told the journalists, “You know everything (about the raids).

A senior, respected opposition politician becoming the target of such a vengeance is regrettable, according to Rohit Agarwal, a spokesperson for the Rashtriya Lok Dal. Nothing lasts forever, and this administration has to keep that in mind.

The opposition was rebuffed by the governing party.

Keshav Prasad Maurya, deputy chief minister, said: “I don’t believe it’s appropriate to challenge the performance of government bodies. Agencies like IT often conduct search operations, and these activities always have a purpose. One should not worry if they are in good standing.

Jaivir Singh, the tourism minister for UP and a former member of the Samajwadi Party before joining the BJP, said that the move was made in response to particular information.

The witch hunt doesn’t exist. I believe it would be inaccurate to label it a political vengeance. As a result of allegations made against him (Azam), the agencies are carrying out their duties. The opposition’s allegation (of a witch hunt) is irrelevant at this point, according to Singh.

The Rampur (Sadar) BJP MLA Akash Saxena justified the action as well. “If he’s innocent, Azam shouldn’t be afraid. The key argument is that he himself had said on several times that his institution was worth billions of dollars. Then there’s the matter of the contributions he claimed to have gotten in order to start the institution. “We are looking into everything,” Saxena stated over the phone from Rampur.

Since 2017, when a majority BJP administration entered power after almost 14 years, Akash has filed more than 30 of the entire 100 FIRs against Azam Khan.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi, a Prayagraj-based MP for the BJP, said: “One may always go to court if one believes that the practice is unnecessary. I believe it is improper to connect political activity with search activities.