Karnataka Minister KJ George calls IT raids 'routine exercise', refuses link to smart meter contract, says there is no connection...
New Delhi: In a major development, Karnataka's Minister for Energy KJ George refuted any connection between recent Income Tax department raids at a prominent tech park in Bengaluru and the state's smart meter initiative or the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and said that they were 'a routine regulatory exercise' related to IT filings and had nothing to do with any government project.
In a firm statement issued via his official social media handle, the minister termed the allegations circulating in a section of the media as 'completely baseless, misleading, and politically motivated.' 'There is no connection whatsoever between the smart meter project or BESCOM and the Income Tax department's raids,' George said. 'I strongly condemn this attempt to mislead the public and draw false links to the Energy Department.'
This comes after the Income Tax Department conducted surveys from July 28 to 30 at multiple locations connected to George and real estate tycoon Jitu Virwani of the Embassy Group, including Golflinks Software Park Private Limited in Bengaluru. KJ George Issues Statement:
In view of the misinformation being circulated regarding myself and the companies under my chairmanship, purportedly in connection with the #SmartMeterInitiative and the #EnergyDepartment of the Government of Karnataka, we wish to issue the following clarification:
The recent interaction with the #IncomeTax Department was a routine regulatory exercise solely pertaining to the verification of our companies' income tax filings. There is no connection whatsoever to any government project or department, including the #SmartMeter program or the #EnergyDepartment.
Our teams extended full cooperation to the authorities during this scheduled compliance review, consistent with our long-standing commitment to transparency and adherence to the law.
We categorically reject and strongly refute any speculative or misleading claims suggesting otherwise.
We urge all concerned to exercise discretion and refrain from spreading or endorsing baseless allegations. BJP's Allegation:
To recall, in March this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party alleged a massive Rs 15,568 crore scam in Karnataka's smart meter procurement process. The saffron camp accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of favouritism and irregularities in the tendering process.
Echoing this stance, Golflinks Software Park clarified in an official statement that the survey conducted under Section 133A of the Income Tax Act was routine in nature and 'has no connection to public officials, state government departments, BESCOM contracts, or smart meter-related matters.'
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