I-T raids at Samajwadi Party MLC Pampi Jain's properties in tax evasion case

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the nearly Rs 200 crore cash recovered from perfume maker Piyush Jain is not BJP money, as she defended the timing of the tax raids saying they were based on actionable intelligence. Speaking to reporters after GST Council meeting, she said law enforcing agencies act on actionable intelligence in conducting raids. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

BJP is trying to pollute SP's name. Those who spread the smell of hatred will not like fragrance of perfume. Earlier they've mistakenly conducted raids at residence of their own man & now to cover that they've  conducting searches on residences SP leaders: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

 Ram Gopal Yadav, MP, Samajwadi Party said that the BJP is doing low-level politics after seeing that a large number of people are showing up at Akhilesh Yadav's election rallies. Earlier, raids were conducted at SP workers' residences at Mau and Mainpuri & but after that nothing has been said. SP MLC Pushp Raj Jain has not indulged in any wrongdoing. Central agencies are working under pressure. Why are raids are being conducted ahead of UP elections?

Pushpraj Jain has been linked to around 18 companies. He is a director on the board of Pragati Aroma Oil Distillers Pvt Ltd. The firm was incorporated in 1989 with Atulkumar Sawailal Jain, Prabhatchandra Sawailal Jain and Pankaj Sawailal Jain and Pushpraj Sawailal Jain as directors. The registered office of the company is in Vile Parle East in Mumbai. Apart from this, he has served as director of 12 other companies, and has been a partner in five additional firms.

Pushpraj Jain Pampi is a Member of Legislative Council from Samajwadi Party. He had launched the ‘Samajwadi ittra’ or perfume in November in the presence of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. 

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI), an investigation agency under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), had recently carried out large-scale raids in Kanpur and Kannauj against Shikhar brand pan masala, a transporter and others and later arrested perfume trader Piyush Jain, seized over Rs 197 crore cash apart from 26 kg gold and huge quantity of sandalwood oil. The I-T department functions under the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). 

The party alleged that the raids were being conducted due to political vendetta and the public will give a befitting reply to the BJP in the polls. "The BJP is scared.. this is the misuse of central agencies by the BJP ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections. The public is watching everything, they will answer by vote," the SP tweeted.

The Samajwadi Party claimed through a post on its official Twitter handle that the premises of its MLC Pushpraj alias Pampi Jain in Kannauj have been raided. It said party chief Akhilesh Yadav had just called a press conference in Kannauj and hence the 'BJP government' launched the raids.

The Income Tax Department conducted raids at the premises of Samajwadi Party MLC Pushpraj Jain Pampi and other perfume makers in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj on Friday.