The income tax department raided an entrepreneur relative of senior JDU leader and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s close aide Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Thursday, on the eve of the Opposition unity meeting to be chaired by Nitish in Patna.

Choudhary, a cabinet minister, said the action of the central agency should be viewed against the backdrop of the Opposition meeting, for which leaders have started to arrive in Bihar from across the country.

Ajay Kumar Singh alias Karu Singh is the brother-in-law of Choudhary and a prominent industrialist. The IT officials arrived at Ajay’s palatial house at Begusarai in several vehicles at 6am and began the search, which was continuing in the evening. A police team accompanied the officials for security reasons.

“One thing is clear. I am a JDU minister in this government, he (Ajay) is my relative, and Opposition leaders from all over the country are meeting in Bihar tomorrow to remove the present ruling dispensation at the Centre in the next Lok Sabha polls. This perspective is there and you all can analyse the timing of the raid in a better manner,” Choudhary told reporters.

He said the Opposition would not be intimidated by such tactics.