National Herald case: Shivakumar calls Delhi Police notice 'harassment'
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday termed the Delhi Police’s notice to him, seeking financial and transactional details as part of its probe into the National Herald case, as “harassment” and said he will fight it legally.
Condemning the move, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief, questioned the need for a separate police probe when the ED had already filed a chargesheet in connection with the case.
The notice issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) states that Shivakumar is “supposed to have vital information” pertaining to the National Herald case registered on October 3 this year, against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
“It is very shocking to me. I have provided all the details to the ED. The ED had summoned me and my brother (former MP D K Suresh) also. There is nothing wrong, it is our (party) institution (National Herald, Young India), and we being Congressmen, we have supported the institution, there is no hide and seek, everything is in black and white,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, “I don’t know. After ED has filed a charge sheet, there was no need for the police (Delhi police) to register a case. We will take up the case, we will fight it in the court of law.”
In the notice dated November 29, the EOW has summoned Shivakumar to appear before it or provide the requested information by December 19 latest.
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Calling the move as nothing but “harassment”, the Deputy CM said, “What is there in it? It is our money, we can give it to anyone, whomever we like, when we pay taxes. There is nothing involved.”
Already Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case has been registered and a chargesheet has been filed, he said. “What more can they do to harass Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others. They are trying to create confusion.”
Asked if he will appear on December 19, Shivakumar replied that he will examine the legal implications. “It is being done to harass. I condemn it.”
“I don’t know, it was a surprise to me, yesterday I got a notice. I have just studied it, still I will have to go through it again and reply to it. Suresh also had donated some money, earlier being a MP,” he added.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
