The opposition parties lashed out at the Centre after Income Tax (I-T) department conducted searches at production houses and event management companies linked to actress Taapsee Pannu, filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl, and Madhu Mantena on Wednesday.

Leaders of the Congress Party and Shiv Sena, part of Maharashtra's ruling coalition, said that the Income Tax officials raided the premises of the Bollywood celebrities, especially Kashyap and Pannu, because they spoke against the Narendra Modi government.

Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Ashok Chavan called this an attempt to subvert voices rising against the Centre, alleging that the BJP uses the central agencies to target such people. “This (income-tax raid) happened to them as they are celebrities who voice their opinions about what is going on around the country,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP and deputy leader of the Shiv Sena, Priyanka Chaturvedi, reiterated in a tweet, “Hope the Income Tax department of our country, is saved from bonded slavery status soon. Same wishes for ED and CBI too.”

Hope the Income Tax department of our country, is saved from bonded slavery status soon.Same wishes for ED and CBI too