Minister Aditya Thackeray slammed the I-T Department’s action terming it as misuse of central probe agencies, but vowed the Shiv Sena would not be cowed by such tactics.

MUMBAI — The Income Tax Department raided prominent leaders close to the ruling Shiv Sena and its youth wing Yuva Sena — hours before party MP Sanjay Raut was preparing to make an ‘expose’ against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), here on Tuesday.

The ITD swooped on the homes and offices of Rahul Kanal, a Trustee of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi, a confidante of Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray, and Sadanand Kadam, the brother of senior Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam, Sanjay Kadam and a government official, among others.

Minister Aditya Thackeray slammed the I-T Department’s action terming it as misuse of central probe agencies, but vowed the Shiv Sena would not be cowed by such tactics.

The latest I-T Department action came after the February 25 raids on Shiv Sena Corporator Yeshwant Jadhav and others in connection with alleged tax evasion on income worth over Rs 130 crore.