The raids on the offices and residences of India’s second richest politician D.K. Shiva Kumar reveal plenty about the Congress and the BJP, the independence of the CBI and Enforcement Directorate, and the use and abuse of money power in electoral politics.

Not to mention the brazen methods that the Narendra Modi–Amit Shah combine have begun to adopt to fulfil their fantasy of a Congress-mukt Bharat, to the wild applause of those who were only recently crowing about ‘a party with a difference”.

But the reporting of the ill-timed raids, even if legitimate, against the backdrop of the Rajya Sabha elections, reveal plenty about the media and how it is being used to “string along” (in Barkha Dutt‘s famous words) to shape perceptions.

Below is the quantum of money seized during the raids yesterday, according to today’s papers. Take your pick.

The Times of India: Rs 10 crore (Rs 8 crore in Delhi)

Deccan Herald: Rs 9 crore

The Hindu: Rs 10 crore (Rs 8 crore in Delhi)

New Indian Express: Between Rs 7.5 crore and Rs 11 crore

The Indian Express: Rs 10 crore

The Tribune: Rs 7.9 crore in Delhi, Rs 2.23 elsewhere

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Vijaya Karnataka: Rs 20 crore (Rs 7.5 crore n Delhi)

Vijaya Vani: Rs 2.5 crore in Bangalore, Rs 6.6 crore in Delhi

Praja Vani: Rs 10 crore (Rs 7.5 crore in Delhi)

Kannada Prabha: Rs 7.5 crore in Bangalore

Udayavani: Rs 0 crore (online) to Rs 10 crore

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Times Now: Rs 5 crore in Delhi

NDTV: Rs 7.5 crore in Delhi

Meanwhile, a Congress “spokesman” has claimed on his Facebook page today that Rs 40 lakh was all that was recovered.

Photograph: courtesy The New Indian Express

Screenshot: courtesy Brijesh Kalappa/ Facebook