Hounded for campaigning in Punjab, says Satyendar Jain

New Delhi: Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Friday said he is being hounded by the income tax department because he is a “star campaigner” for the Aam Aadmi Party in the upcoming Punjab elections.

In a fresh trouble for him, the income tax department has claimed to have generated proof against the high-profile AAP functionary for his alleged connections with hawala operators. Mr Jain has been recently been slapped with another notice in connection with his alleged money laundering case and has been given a month’s time to reply, sources said.  

In September 2016, the I-T department had issued a notice to Mr Jain’s companies after some irregularity was found in the financial records. “I testified as a witness three months ago,” Mr Jain told reporters. He said he had resigned as the director of the three companies in question before contesting the December 2013 Delhi Assembly elections.

“They (I-T department) can’t implicate me. This is merely an exercise (to tarnish my reupation) since I’m working for the Punjab elections. The party has made me its star campaigner,” Mr Jain said, arguing that the charges against him would do his image good. “People will listen to me more carefully,” he said.

In 2011-12, the Delhi minister reportedly showed an annual income of `8 lakh. Mr Jain was a director in three companies – Indo Metallmpex, Akinchan Developers and Prayas Info Solutions – which are under the scanner for possible understatement of income and alleged links with hawala operators.

The AAP government is already crying conspiracy at the behest of prime minister Narendra Modi. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday had claimed that Mr Jain has already replied to the allegations. The party believes that there could be more such attempts to discredit its senior functionaries.