A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a case against Karnataka Irrigation Minister D K Shivakumar, the BJP has launched a political campaign against him, alleging he facilitated hawala transactions on behalf of the Congress party.
In a press conference held in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that money was sent from Karnataka to Congress party office in New Delhi by Shivakumar and his associates.
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But within hours of the BJP’s allegation, DK Shivakumar, who was undergoing treatment for food poisoning, called a press conference in Bengaluru.
He said the BJP was trying to “trap” him, as he was the roadblock to BJP’s attempts to poach Congress MLAs.
Stating that the BJP spokesperson was discussing documents which were not public, and only available with the ED and IT department, he said that the BJP was influencing the investigation of the autonomous agencies.
The BJP’s Allegations
On Wednesday afternoon, BJP spokesperson Sampit Patra alleged that the Congress party had received money through Hawala transactions. "Congress and corruption have become synonymous. Unaccounted cash, hawala transactions and corrupt deals, these are the pillars on which the Congress sits," he said in New Delhi.
Claiming to have statements from DK Shivakumar’s driver and Karnataka Bhavan employee H Anjaneya, Patra alleged that DK Shivakumar had sent money in “kilograms” to AICC office in New Delhi.
"Money used to reach Chandni Chowk in Delhi from different cities of Karnataka, including Bengaluru. From there, several vehicles were used to carry the cash to AICC headquarters in the national capital,” he said.
DK Shivakumar’s Counter-Attack
Hours after the BJP press conference in New Delhi, DK Shivakumar met the reporters in Bengaluru. He said he is not answerable to the BJP but to the law of the land. He said:
“I have not received any notice from the ED… the I-T department had found Rs 41 lakh in my house and I have given them an explanation for that money. I have agricultural land, I am a businessman and I have paid more than Rs 30 crores in income tax,”
He added that in case of a notice, he will “respectfully cooperate” with them. “I have not committed any crime. But if the BJP is going to attack me politically, it won’t be good for them,” he said.
BJP and Agencies Are Hand in Glove
DK Shivakumar pointed out that the documents the BJP spokesperson claimed to possess were not public documents. “These documents are to remain between the assessee and the Income Tax department. Unless it has been filed in the court it is not a public statement. But the BJP has accessed them. This shows that the agencies are hand in glove with the BJP,” he said.
He said the allegations were part of BJP’s hopes of forming a government in Karnataka. “BJP wants to form a government (in Karnataka), but I am a (road)block. They wanted to do operation lotus (poaching of MLAs) and they feel if they put me in jail, they’ll be able to form the government. But they are wrong,” he said.
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