BENGALURU: In the wake of I-T raids on contractors and the Opposition BJP and JDS cornering the Congress, especially Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, AICC General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal rushed to Bengaluru and held discussions with AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and Shivakumar on Monday.
The trio discussed tackling the issue, besides damage control of the party’s image, and the strategy for the forthcoming assembly polls in five states, highly placed sources said. The IT raids took centre stage, they added.
Asked about Venugopal’s visit, Shivakumar maintained that they discussed many issues, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. “We gave ministers the task of visiting Lok Sabha constituencies and submitting a ground report. As this process is getting delayed, we spoke of getting it done quickly,” he said. He also hinted that appointments to boards and corporations had been raised, adding that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and he would also discuss it in a couple of days.
Sources informed that the high-voltage meeting discussed managing the upcoming assembly polls. Kharge and Venugopal warned Shivakumar to be cautious as the BJP leadership has been targeting him and the Congress government in Karnataka, to damage the party’s image ahead of elections, sources said.
The BJP has alleged that the Congress high command has set the ruling party in the state the target of collecting Rs 1,000 crore to fund the party. The party planned to send Rs 300 crore to Telangana, Rs 100 crore to Mizoram, Rs 200 crore each to Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, but was caught before the money was distributed, the BJP alleged.
JDS leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy alleged that the Rs 42 crore cash unearthed at contractor R Ambikapathy’s house by IT sleuths was meant to be transported to Telangana.
“I will answer whoever needs to be answered. They don’t know the procedures of the IT department and are talking like agents. As a responsible person, I will fix a time to give them an answer,” Shivakumar said, responding to allegations linking him to IT raids. “I’m not a coward, I don’t run away out of fear. I will give a fitting response to an ex-CM’s fake swami, and expose their misdeeds.”