Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah slams RSS for its divisive politics
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday slammed the RSS for its divisive ideology.
He said he always stood by the Kuruba community, to which he belongs, and toiled for the Kuruba Sangha to establish Kaginele Peetha.
"I established the Kaginele Peetha as the voice of all oppressed communities. I have always opposed the Sanatanist RSS, caste hierarchy, and superstition," Siddaramaiah said.
He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the new building of the Karnataka Kuruba Sangha and student hostel at Gandhinagar.
"My clear objective was to ensure education and hostel facilities for children of the Kuruba community. The ideology of the RSS divides society and sustains the caste system. It is an ideology that opposes the working classes. That is precisely why I have opposed the RSS from the beginning. It was with this conviction that I proposed that the Kaginele Peetha should become a centre for all oppressed communities," he said.
He recalled that the Kuruba Sangha had for long demanded the demolition of the 100-year-old structure and construction of a new building.
"After consulting everyone, the old structure was demolished, and the foundation for the new building has been laid. The construction will be completed within 18 months without compromising on quality," the chief minister said.
According to Siddaramaiah, many who studied in the old hostel have gone on to become officers and even judges.
"I became an MLA in 1983 and a minister in 1984. As transport minister, I organised the 500th birth anniversary of saint and poet, Kanakadasa in 1988. It was then that I decided the community should have a Gurapeetha. The association was then burdened with a loan of Rs three crore, which we cleared. That is history, and everyone should understand it," he stated.
The new building will also include a hostel, the CM said.
Recalling the challenges around Kuruba Sangha, Siddaramaiah said he had not entered politics, the Kuruba Sangha building would not have survived, the Kaginele Peetha would not have existed, and it would have been impossible to protect Byrappa’s temple and community lands from "real estate goons."
The CM told the gathering that the government is facilitating the construction of 600 community halls for the Kuruba community and has secured land and buildings for the Sangha in places such as Mysuru, Hubballi, Shivamogga, and Davanagere.
He said he worked not only for the Kuruba community but for the upliftment of all oppressed communities, including the backward classes, Dalits, and minorities.
"The Bhagya schemes introduced during my first tenure as chief minister and the Guarantee programmes launched in my second term are meant for the poor across all castes. My goal is to build an inclusive society that ensures development for all," the chief minister said.
Siddaramaiah also recalled the death threats he received for saving the Kuruba Sangha.
"In the past, I faced death threats from Puttaswamy, who was associated with rowdy Kotwal Ramachandra. I was threatened not to involve myself in Kuruba Sangha affairs, but I was not afraid," the CM said.
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Illegal betting case: ED attaches ₹177 crore assets linked to Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra
Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has attached assets worth ₹177.3 crore belonging to Congress MLA K.C. Veerendra, also known as ‘Puppy’, and his associates in connection with an illegal online betting and gambling case, Deccan Herald reported.
According to the ED, the attached properties include immovable assets such as agricultural land and residential sites, along with other movable assets. The agency said these assets are believed to be proceeds of crime generated through illegal online betting and gambling activities.
The ED claimed that its investigation uncovered that Veerendra and his associates were the masterminds behind a nationwide illegal online betting network operating with the same modus operandi.
“The investigation has established that the accused generated substantial proceeds of crime by cheating the public through online betting and impersonation scams. In the scheme, unsuspecting players were induced to stake money on rigged illegal gaming websites, which functioned like online casinos. Their deposits, running into crores of rupees, were collected through payment gateways into designated payment aggregator accounts,” Deccan Herald quoted the agency as saying.
“The victims were initially shown fake winnings to build trust and were later blocked from withdrawing money. The investigation revealed the use of hundreds of mule accounts and multiple payment gateways for laundering the proceeds of crime,” the agency said.
Earlier, the ED carried out search and seizure operations at more than 60 locations across several states, during which large quantities of cash, gold bullion, gold and silver jewellery, vehicles, digital devices and incriminating documents were seized.
The ED also arrested Veerendra under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and a prosecution complaint has been filed before the Special PMLA court. Based on the evidence gathered, the agency has provisionally attached properties held directly and indirectly by him, which are believed to be linked to money laundering.
“With this, the ED has attached assets worth more than ₹320 crore in the present case under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002. Further, during the course of the investigation, proceeds of crime exceeding ₹2,300 crore have been identified so far, which were generated through illegal online betting and gambling activities and subsequently laundered through multiple layers of transactions,” the agency said.
