ED raids in Valmiki Development Corporation case unwarranted: D K Shivakumar
Tumakuru (Karnataka), Jul 10: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday termed the Enforcement Directorate raids in the Valmiki Development Corporation case as unwarranted.
The ED on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple places allegedly linked to former Karnataka Minister B Nagendra and MLA Basanagouda Daddal in connection with the illegal money transfer case in state owned corporation.
The raids were carried out in Bengaluru, Raichur and Ballari as part of the probe into the alleged unauthorised transfer of Rs 187 crore belonging to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation from its bank accounts.
This includes Rs 88.62 crore illegally credited to various accounts of some IT companies and a Hyderabad-based cooperative bank, according to official sources.
ALSO READ: "Let ED do their job," says Karnataka CM on searches in Valmiki Corporation ''scam'' case
Speaking to reporters at the Nonavinakere Kadasiddeshwara mutt in the district, he said, "When the SIT set up by the State government is already investigating the case, there was no need for ED to raid in the case."
Asked about ED raids on several places including the residence of former minister Nagendra, the DCM said, "It involves huge amounts of money and hence banks have the authority to investigate the case. ED has come in even though there was no need for it to investigate."
Shivakumar said Nagendra is not at fault as he exuded confidence that he will come out clean after the investigation.
Though he endorsed action against those involved in the fraud, he underlined that similar cases had happened during the previous BJP government.
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Will take action against parents of AJP's Kunki Chowdhury for beef consumption: Himanta
Jorhat (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said he will take action against the parents of AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury for allegedly consuming beef and uploading a picture of it on social media.
Chowdhury (27), who is making her electoral debut from the Guwahati Central Assembly constituency, has repeatedly denied the allegations, terming it as fake news being spread by Sarma.
"After the election, I will take action against her parents as per the Cattle Prevention Act. I will accept everything, but not eating beef," the CM told reporters when asked about the ongoing controversy.
Consumption of beef is not illegal in the state, but the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, bans cattle slaughter and sale of beef in areas where Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are in majority, and in places within a five-km radius of a temple or satra (Vaishnavite monastery).
On Thursday, Sarma had claimed that her mother, academician Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, had shared posts related to beef consumption, made remarks offensive to certain sections and supported Pakistan, thereby hurting the sentiments of 'Sanatani' people.
"Forget whether Kunki wins or loses... Let her say that her parents eat beef, she is a Sanatani Hindu and she has disowned them. If she says she is not with her parents, then I am with her," Sarma said.
"Will you vote for people eating beef? Which ‘Satradhikar’ will vote for her?" he said.
Chowdhury, among the youngest candidates in the fray, is pitted against senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Gupta.
Polling for the 126-member Assam assembly will be held on April 9, while the results will be declared on May 4.
Continuing his salvo at Chowdhury, Sarma said: "They are talking about Gen Z, does Gen Z eat beef? My head spins hearing about eating beef... Lurinjyoti Gogoi (AJP chief) should apologise for insulting Hindus. Everytime, they say I am targeting the girl. I will target the whole world if someone eats beef.
"What kind of courage is this? Are we Hindus dead? Will we eat beef in front of the Kamakhya, Majuli and Batadrava?"
He claimed that even people of the Miya community have abandoned consuming beef, accepting his request, and now they eat buffalo meat instead.
"When I have stopped the Miyas from having beef, will I allow Kunki Chowdhury to eat it? No parents will be spared.... I had issued shoot-at-sight orders for bringing beef during Eid at Dhubri," Sarma asserted.
‘Miya’ is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting the term as a gesture of defiance.
He also said that those who are supporting eating beef, on social media, should stop doing it, and "not insult Sankardeva, Batadrava, Majuli".
"If you want to fight with Himanta Biswa Sarma, I am ready for a fight. But, uploading beef eating picture on social media will not be tolerated, as there is an Act. Who is this Chowdhury to insult Hindus?" the CM said.
Sarma also alleged that her father has encroached land.
"His (Chowdhury's father) university is in my constituency. Nobody should support her without knowing the background...," he said.
Chowdhury had on Saturday filed a police complaint for alleged deep fake defamatory videos on social media about her family, following Sarma's claims on her mother's food habits.
She had also posted a sarcastic video on social media on Thursday in which she thanked Sarma for making her a household name in the country.
"A big thanks to the honourable chief minister. I learnt that during a media interaction, he made some allegations against my mother, which are completely untrue," she had said.
Chowdhury maintained that the allegations prove "the BJP has accepted defeat in the Guwahati Central seat".
"It has been just 15 days since I joined politics, and within this short span of time, the love that people of Guwahati Central and Assam have given me has worried them. With him (Sarma) uttering my name, the entire country will now know who is Kunki Chowdhury. I thank him again," she added.
