Lucknow, February 25: The Income Tax (IT) Department officials, accompanied by a heavy police force, raided the Lucknow residence and other locations of Uma Shankar Singh, the lone Bahujan Samaj Party MLA in Uttar Pradesh.
The BSP chief defended his MLA, while a state government minister publicly condemned the action. Income Tax Department teams raided the Gomti Nagar residence and other locations of Uma Shankar Singh, Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from the Rasda assembly constituency in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh. Uma Shankar Singh was elected as a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA in the 2022 assembly elections. He is the lone BSP MLA in the state and has been unwell for the past two years. Income Tax raids on the premises of the MLA and his associates in several districts, including Lucknow and Sonbhadra, have heated up the state’s political landscape.
BSP chief Mayawati, in response to the action, stated that Umashankar Singh has committed no wrongdoing, that such action is inappropriate during his illness, and that there are no complaints against him.
Dinesh Pratap Singh, a close relative of the BSP MLA and a minister in the Yogi government, expressed deep displeasure on Wednesday over the Income Tax Department’s raid on Umashankar Singh’s home and office.
In a statement released on social media, he said that MLA Umashankar Singh has been struggling between life and death for more than two years. Currently, even a nurse or doctor is not allowed to visit his home. If his life is harmed, these insensitive organizations will be responsible. He wrote that his daughter is married to Umashankar Singh, the MLA from Rasra, Ballia. The Income Tax Department is raiding his home today. National and state politicians, as well as all institutions including the Income Tax Department, know that Umashankar Singh has been struggling between life and death for more than two years. In the current circumstances, he is spending all his time and money on survival, not earning money, and all businesses have virtually shut down.
The Income Tax Department has not issued any statement regarding this action against the BSP MLA.