Bengaluru: The ruling Congress party in Karnataka has decided to stoutly defend its embattled Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who has by now undergone 72 hours of continuous grilling by Income Tax sleuths, who have raided his houses and properties across the nation in an attempt to unearth hidden wealth of the Vokkaliga community strongman.
Interestingly, none in the party feel it’s appropriate to seek his resignation till he comes clean in the entire episode even as the BJP upped the ante demanding the resignation of the minister for the “deep corruption” he is involved in. With the party backing him to the hilt, there are enough indications that Mr Shivakumar will have the Congress defending him in future legal battles pertaining to the raids, which continued till late Friday night.
Usha, wife of Mr Shivakumar and their daughter at their residence.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a senior leader in the ruling party confided that Mr Shivakumar was in a way lucky to be raided by the IT department at this juncture. “No doubt, he and his business deals may not be so clean. But sometimes, timing matters a lot in politics.
Even as the Income Tax raids at properties linked to Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar continued for the third consecutive day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called it a "politically motivated" move on the part of the central government.
Raking up the issue of IT sleuths using CRPF during the searches, he also hit out at the BJP for calling it a fight against corruption, saying most of its own leaders were facing graft charges. In a swoopdown that has raised a political storm, the IT department on Wednesday began its searches on various properties linked to Shivakumar, who is hosting 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort on city outskirts to forestall alleged attempts by BJP to poach on them ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls. Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, is locked in a bitter fight in the election.
During the searches at about 66 places across the country in connection with a case of alleged tax evasion, IT officials said they have seized cash and jewellery worth over Rs 15 crore so far. "This is a politically motivated raid; the timing also clearly shows that it is politically motivated," Siddaramaiah told reporters here. He said "I'm not against the raid or search on any house, but the time that they have selected and the intention of the central government and the IT department..." On Wednesday, Siddaramaiah in a statement had charged that the IT department action was an attempt to silence voices against BJP. Asked whether he feels that Shivakumar will come out clean, the CM said "let us see, we do not know what has happened, what they have found during the searches, but according to me it is a politically motivated."
"He is a Minister. Taking reserve police to his house and other places is not fair," he said.
Questioning the motive behind IT sleuths going to the resort where MLAs are lodged, Siddaramaiah objected to the use of CRPF without keeping the state police in the loop. Also, hitting back at the BJP for terming raids as fight against corruption, he said, "there are corruption charges against (union minister) Ananth Kumar, inquiry is still going on." "There are corruption charges against so many BJP leaders in Karnataka. Is Yeddyurappa (state BJP chief) not facing corruption charges?" he asked.
