Bengaluru: The Income Tax department on Wednesday raided the golf resort of Karnataka energy minister DK Shivakumar where the Congress MLAs from Gujarat are put up, provoking the party to allege a witch-hunt.

The I-T raids, which began on Wednesday morning, were held at 39 locations, including Shivakumar's residences in Bengaluru and Delhi, and the Eagleton Golf resort.

Questions were raised over the timing of the raids because the minister is in charge of the 42 Gujarat MLAs from Gujarat who have been herded to Bengaluru to prevent erosion in Congress ranks before the Rajya Sabha elections on August 8. The MLAs alleged that the I-T sleuths raided their rooms, though the department has strongly denied this.

“I have video proof of the Income Tax officials searching our rooms. Very soon, I will release the video. We will not bow down to BJP and make sure that Ahmed Patel is elected to the Rajya Sabha,” said Shaktisinh Gohil, Congress spokesperson and MLA from Gujarat’s Abdasa.

The minister and his family are being raided by a team of about 120 I-T Department officials with the aid of central paramilitary forces. Officials said Rs 10.5 crore cash has been recovered during the raids. They said that the raids had nothing to do with the Gujarat MLAs.

According to sources in the I-T department, DKS tried to destroy some papers detailing the illegal transactions while the tax sleuths were questioning people at the resort in Bengaluru. The documents have been recovered. They said that raids are underway at several places associated with the minister, from people who handle his money to even his tantric and astrologer.

Officials said that Shivakumar was recently summoned by the taxman in a case related to a diary found by the department. The diary had details of cash being paid to MLAs and MLCs and had the initials DKS on it, which is why he was questioned, they said

The Congress, however, refuted all charges and said that the BJP was using the I-T department for their personal gains and claimed that India under Modi is a police state.

BJP is on an unprecedented witch-hunt just to win one Rajya Sabha seat — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 2, 2017

After using the state machinery and every other agency,these I-T raids show their utter desperation & frustration — Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) August 2, 2017

“This is a politically motivated witch hunt. This is happening just ahead of the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls,” said Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

A statement by the DGIT( investigations) said the timing of the search was decided well in advance and has got nothing to do with the Gujarat MLAs staying at the resort.

"The Minister being searched was staying at a resort near Bangalore where some MLAs from another state are put up. Hence the Minister’s room alone is being searched. The search team has no concern with the MLAs and there has been no contact with MLAs and the search team," the statement said.

The Congress had moved 44 of its Gujarat MLAs to the Eagleton resort in Bengaluru to guard them against "poaching" by the BJP ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls in the state. The BJP has denied reports of horse-trading and said the Congress' actions has exposed its desperation.