Halt income tax raids on small traders, Kejriwal tells Modi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to halt income tax raids on small traders aimed at uncovering hidden income.

In an open letter, Kejriwal argued that small and petty traders across the country were basically honest and patriotic and that they should not be targeted to protect the guilty super-rich.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said that as a former officer in the income tax department, he was surprised to learn that income tax officers were now going after small traders as well as shopkeepers.

Kejriwal alleged that some of those hoarding black money abroad were known to the Prime Minister while the majority of traders and shopkeepers had actually voted for him (Modi) in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

He alleged that the decision to go after the traders and shopkeepers followed the government’s failure to mop up the amount of black money it had hoped to under an amnesty scheme. “I request you with folded hands ... to stop these raids... Even if you don’t want to listen to me, listen to your conscience,” Kejriwal said.