BENGALURU: The case registered against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others with regard to electoral bonds is politically motivated, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka has said.
All political parties have collected money from electoral bonds and if the FIR has to be registered it has to be done against all the parties, Ashoka said and added that it is a politically motivated complaint on the directives of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Bengaluru Police filed FIR against Nirmala and other senior BJP leaders following a directive from the Special Court in Bengaluru. There is a huge difference between the case against Siddaramaiah, who is accused of misusing his powers to get sites worth several crores, while the money in the electoral bonds had gone to political parties, Ashoka said. “The Congress also got Rs 1,200 crore. It must return the money before seeking Nirmala Sitharaman’s resignation,” the BJP leader told media persons.
To divert attention from the MUDA case, Congress leaders are now taking up the electoral bonds issue, he said. Earlier, Congress had tried to weaken the Lokayukta and now it is taking away the CBI powers to investigate cases in the state, he said. Ashoka said they are demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation to ensure a free and fair probe in the MUDA case as he can influence the police.