Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar Accuses ED of Targeting CM Siddaramaiah
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of attempting to tarnish the image of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and destabilize the Congress government in the state. Speaking to reporters after a protest near the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said, “ED officials are threatening a state government official to name Chief Minister and ministers in the Valmiki Development Corporation case. The ED is trying to tarnish the name of the Chief Minister and destabilize the government.”
The protest saw participation from the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, ministers, and MLAs from the Congress party. Shivakumar explained, “As soon as we found that officials had siphoned off funds in the Valmiki Development Corporation, we formed an SIT, which recovered over 50% of the money from Telangana. The concerned minister resigned voluntarily to enable an impartial probe. There is a provision to hand over the case to the CBI, but the ED has stepped in while the SIT investigation is still ongoing.”
Shivakumar further alleged that ED officials threatened Social Welfare Department’s MD Kallesh to name the Chief Minister in the case, warning him of a 7-year jail term if he did not comply. The threatened officials lodged a complaint at Wilson Garden police station, leading to an FIR against ED officials Mittal and Murali Kannan.
Shivakumar also accused the BJP of preventing the Chief Minister from responding in the Assembly to avoid revealing scams during the BJP tenure. He mentioned the arrest of a former BJP MLC involved in the Devaraj Urs Truck Terminal Corporation and a Rs 500 crore scam in a department headed by former BJP minister Ashwathnarayan. He added, “The BJP is trying to target a sitting chief minister of Karnataka through ED. BJP has been targeting chief ministers of other states as we have all seen. Hence, we are protesting against the ED.”
When asked if the government would arrest the accused ED officials, Shivakumar said, “An FIR is filed, the police will take the necessary steps as per law. We have given them a free hand and we don’t interfere in the work of the police.”
Doubts Revealed
Karnataka -: Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It has its own government and Chief Minister.
Deputy CM -: Deputy CM stands for Deputy Chief Minister. This person is the second-in-command in the state government, just below the Chief Minister.
DK Shivakumar -: DK Shivakumar is a politician in Karnataka and currently serves as the Deputy Chief Minister.
ED -: ED stands for Enforcement Directorate. It is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
CM Siddaramaiah -: CM Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He is the head of the state government.
tarnish -: Tarnish means to damage or spoil someone’s reputation or image.
destabilize -: Destabilize means to make something unstable or weak, often referring to a government or organization.
Congress -: Congress is a major political party in India. It is one of the oldest and has been in power many times.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is another major political party in India, often seen as a rival to Congress.
FIR -: FIR stands for First Information Report. It is a document prepared by the police when they receive information about a crime.