BENGALURU: Senior ministers in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet on Thursday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of pressuring and threatening those under investigation in the Valmiki ST Corporation scam to name the CM and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar as accused in the case to destabilise the Congress government in Karnataka.
Cabinet ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, KJ George, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Santosh Lad and Priyank Kharge along with CM’s legal advisor AS Ponnanna addressed a press conference in Vidhana Soudha.
Byre Gowda alleged that ED was sent not to probe the alleged scam, but to destabilise the Congress government. “We are not going to succumb to such threats,” he said.
He alleged that the ED officials granted immunity to those who cooperated with them. “They are misusing their power,” he said.
Opposition BJP and JDS want Siddaramaiah to resign as CM over the alleged irregularities in the ST corporation. The issue led to heated exchanges between ruling and opposition members in both Houses on Thursday. The BJP leaders and workers staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Byre Gowda said BJP is trying to get a backdoor entry using ED. “BJP always makes such anti-democratic efforts, including Operation Kamala. BJP has been using ED, CBI and I-T Department to attack opposition parties. The NDA government led by BJP at the Centre is trying to destabilise the Congress government in the state using ED just as they did in 2009 through Operation Kamala. Cases are filed against those in the opposition, but everything is cleared as soon as they join BJP,” he alleged.
Minister targets BJP with ‘scams’ under its rule
The minister pointed out that since the NDA came to power in 2014, the number of ED cases increased by 400%, whereas during the UPA tenure, it was only 53% against opposition leaders and 47% against Congress and allied party leaders. These statistics prove that BJP has become a washing machine party, he said.
Byre Gowda said many scams happened during the previous BJP government in Karnataka, including money spent during Covid-19. Why is ED not investigating them, he asked.
“During BJP’s tenure, Rs 46 crore was misappropriated in Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal Corporation. A sum of Rs 3 crore went to the bank account of a former BJP MLC and former MP candidate. Why is ED not investigating this case? Isn’t this scam money? Why is ED not investigating to which election that looted money went?’’ he said and alleged that crores of rupees were looted in the Bhovi and Tanda Development corporations as well.
There is no transparency in the investigation of the alleged scam in the ST Corporation. Witnesses are coerced to give false statements. This is against the Constitution and democracy. “If necessary, we will take to the streets along with the legal battle,” he said.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao alleged that ED is nothing but a political wing of BJP, working to protect the interests of the saffron party and misusing its powers to target opposition leaders, topple elected governments, and undermine democracy. “What more evidence is needed to conclude that it is a partisan agency?” he said.
Gundurao said the whole country knows what ED is. “Let there be an impartial probe into the alleged scam in the ST Corporation. The minister has resigned. ED’s job is to probe and file chargesheets, not give information. ED officials are demeaning democracy. BJP is practising cowardly politics using ED,” he said.
Later in the House, legal advisor to CM and Congress MLA Ponnanna said the opposition did not want the truth, but sought to bring a bad name for the ruling party. “ED’s documents are available with BJP leaders…The money transferred in the alleged ST Corporation scam is not related to CM Siddaramaiah,” he added.