I-T, CBI & ED are functioning as BJP 'affiliates': Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah alleged on Friday the Income Tax (I-T) department, CBI and ED are functioning as BJP's "affiliates" and no longer autonomous agencies, as he hit out at the party-led NDA government.

The senior Congress leader's charge comes following the arrest of the JMM executive president Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud after he resigned as Jharkhand Chief Minister.

"Enforcement Directorate raids on opposition leaders in the last ten years is proof that CBI, I-T, ED are no longer autonomous agencies, but are functioning as @BJP4India party affiliates," Siddaramaiah said on 'X'.

The relentless ED raids on opposition leaders over the last decade reveal a stark reality: CBI, IT, and ED are no longer autonomous entities but seem to function as extensions of the @BJP4India.

The battle for the opposition extends beyond the ballot box, confronting the misuse… pic.twitter.com/nMoZiZp4oz

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) February 2, 2024

It is imperative that opposition parties not only have to fight against the BJP in the elections, but also against the I-T, CBI and ED, he said.

"Under the BJP rule, the country's Constitution and democracy are on the way to destruction," the Chief Minister alleged.