Income Tax raids on Samajwadi Party MLC Pushpraj Jain to continue; BJP targeting Jain community, alleges Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party MLC Pushpraj Jain, who was brought home amid police protection, avoided answering media questions. Reports say that some incriminating facts have been found during the interrogation late on Sunday evening, due to which Jain`s interrogation may continue even today.

New Delhi: Income Tax Department's raids at the residence of Samajwadi Party MLC Pushpraj Jain in Kannauj may continue on Monday. The SP MLC was also taken to the factory, where the I-T team interrogated him for several hours, said Zee Media reports. 

Notably, the raids and inquiries against the SP MLC are continuing for the last three days. Pushpraj Jain alias Pampi Jain's house is situated in Chhipatti locality of Kannauj, while the factory is in Didarganj.

Pampi Jain, who was brought home amidst police protection, avoided answering media questions. Reports say that some incriminating facts have been found in the interrogation late on Sunday evening, due to which Jain's interrogation may continue even today.

BJP targeting Jain community, alleges Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the ruling BJP is targeting the minority Jain community and does not want it to prosper. The former Uttar Pradesh CM said this referring to central agencies' raids on the premises of two perfume traders in the state recently.

Both traders--Piyush Jain and Pushpraj Jain--belong to the community, while Pushpraj Jain is a Samajwadi Party MLC.

Embarking on the 10th leg of the Samajwadi Vijay Yatra in Lucknow on Sunday, after paying obeisance to Lord Parshuram at a temple, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The BJP is not only the enemy of development but also of minorities."

The SP chief referred to the raids on perfume traders in Kanpur and Kannauj, and said "These people are being raided as the people of Jain community are in minority. These people (BJP) do not want the people from the Jain community to prosper." 

Yadav also claimed that the money recovered during a raid in Kanpur (on-premises of Piyush Jain) was that of the BJP. He said the money kept "inside the walls" and counted belonged to the BJP, claiming that the BJP in order to avoid getting itself defamed and justify its wrong decisions is pointing a finger at the SP, giving an apparent reference to party MLC Pushpraj Jain.

He said, "Every section of society wants a change because, in the four-and-half years of the BJP rule, people have got sadness and harassment."

Earlier on Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav began the 10th leg of his party's yatra from the Gosainganj area after offering prayers at a temple of Lord Parshuram. The move is being seen as an attempt to woo Brahmin voters ahead of the Assembly polls in the state. 

(With Agency Inputs)