BJP leader, ex-CM Sadananda Gowda seeks Siddaramaiah's resignation over Valmiki scam
Bengaluru, Oct 17: Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the multi-crore scam in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, senior BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday urged him to resign on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti.
The former Chief Minister also claimed that certain recent developments show that Siddaramaiah is likely to resign soon.
".....I urge CM Siddaramaiah to resign today because it is a good day. They (ruling Congress) have swallowed a huge amount of money belonging to Valmiki Corporation, and today is Valmiki Jayanti. So, I urge him to retire from politics by resigning from the chief ministerial post today. it will certainly provide him with some relief," Gowda told reporters here.
Claiming that Siddaramaiah has accepted the guilt, by admitting that there was misappropriation to the tune of about Rs 89 crore in the Corporation, Gowda, citing the CM recently offering prayers to Goddesses and Savadatti Yellamma and Chamundeshwari of Mysuru, said: "he seemed as though he was expressing his guilt and was seeking excuse from the god with a request to bring him out of the scandals."
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The illegal money transfer scam involving Corporation came to the fore, after its accounts superintendent, Chandrasekharan P, died by suicide on May 26, leaving behind a note.
After the scam came to light, Congress MLA B Nagendra resigned as the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister in June. The ED had in July arrested Nagendra under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and also five other key accused during the investigation. He was released on bail on Wednesday.
The ED had said its investigation revealed that under the influence of Nagendra, the account of the corporation was moved to the MG Road Branch (of bank) without any proper authorisation, where Rs 187 crore, including Rs. 43.33 crore from the State Treasury under the 'Ganga Kalyana Scheme', were deposited without following proper procedures and in violation of government guidelines.
These funds were subsequently siphoned off through multiple shell accounts and converted into cash and bullion. ED investigation also revealed that an amount of Rs 20.19 crore of the diverted funds was used to support a candidate contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Bellary constituency, as well as for the personal expenses of Nagendra, the federal probe agency has said.
The opposition has been demanding Siddaramaiah's resignation in the case, stating that such a huge amount couldn't have been transferred without the knowledge of the CM, who also holds the Finance department portfolio, with money from the treasury also being involved.
Reacting to the CM earlier in the day announcing that all ST residential schools in the state and Raichur University will be named after Maharshi Valmiki, Gowda said: "after swallowing the money that was allocated for the development of Valmiki community, now naming the schools in his name won't serve the purpose."
The real intention of the government should be the welfare of the people from the Valmiki community, he said.
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Nitish Kumar's son Nishant among 32 to take oath as Bihar ministers
Patna (PTI): In a major expansion of the Cabinet of Bihar's first BJP-led government, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar and 31 others took oath as ministers on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Altogether 32 leaders, drawn from all constituents of the five-party NDA in the state, were administered the oath of office by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain at a grand ceremony that was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Health Minister J P Nadda and BJP president Nitin Nabin.
Prominent inductees included Nishant Kumar, the son of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, who stepped down as chief minister last month to enter the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 243-member assembly with 89 MLAs, has 15 ministers, who took oath on Thursday.
Most of the inductees were those who were part of the Nitish Kumar cabinet formed in November last year after the NDA stormed back to power in the assembly polls.
The JD(U) is represented by a total of 15 ministers, 13 of whom took the oath at the Gandhi Maidan on Thursday. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav had taken oath in April along with Samrat Choudhary and were designated as deputy chief ministers.
Sanjay Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar Paswan, both from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) headed by Union minister Chirag Paswan, are back as ministers, and so are Santosh Kumar Suman and Deepak Prakash, sons of Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi of the Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha of the Rashtriya Lok Morcha, respectively.
