BAGALKOT/VIJAYAPURA: While Congress leaders are accusing the BJP-led Union government of playing vendetta politics with regard to the arrest of former minister DK Shivakumar, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has rebuked these claims, alleging that is it actually Congress Legislative Party leader Siddaramaiah who is to blame.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Nalin Kumar asserted, “Shivakumar’s house was raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) when the Congress was at the helm of affairs in Karnataka, and CLP leader Siddaramaiah was chief minister. He was not arrested by the Karnataka Lokayukta or the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Siddaramaiah could have stopped the raid, but he was hesitant as he was aware of DKS' political growth,” alleged Kateel.
Kateel said, “BJP has no role in the arrest of Shivakumar. Only after a detailed investigation was he arrested.” Congress leaders are making baseless allegations against the BJP, he said, adding, “If our party wanted him behind bars, we would have done it before the Assembly elections. The raid was conducted when the Congress was in power. BJP has never indulged in revenge politics,” he reiterated.
Referring to the resignation of IAS officer Sasikanth Senthil, Kateel said, “It’s not just during the BJP government, many police officers, including IPS officer K Annamalai, tendered their resignations when the coalition was in power. There was zero pressure on him from the state,” he said. Kateel participated in a party workers meeting in Vijayapura and Bagalkot on Sunday — his first visit to the twin districts in his two-decade political career.