'Ready to sacrifice anyone involved in Bitcoin scam but name the influential persons'
Bommai challenges Congress
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday asserted that his government is 'ready to sacrifice anyone involved' in the Bitcoin scam and challenged the Congress to name the "influential people" it has alleged are behind the irregularities.
"The Congress says there are some influential people involved in it (Bitcoin scam). If you know them, then name them. We will investigate it without any second thought. If there is anyone involved in the country or in the state, we will initiate action mercilessly," Bommai told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
The Chief Minister was reacting to a query on Congress national general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala's allegations.
"We are the ones who brought out this scam. We will not spare anyone and are ready to sacrifice anyone involved in it. There is no question of any second thought on our decision.
To hide the role of Congress, you are naming persons who are nowhere in the picture," he charged.
Surjewala had alleged in a press conference in Delhi on Saturday that the size of the scam could be much bigger because just on two days on December 1, 2020 and April 14, 2021 illegal transactions worth Rs 5,240 crore took place.
The Congress leader had also posed a series of questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked what was the role of Karnataka Chief Minister Basaravaj Bommai, who was the state's home minister when the scam took place.
Surjewala also demanded to know why international investigation agencies, including the Interpol, were not informed about the stolen Bitcoins.
Lashing out at the Congress leader, Bommai said the BJP government had held the hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki, investigated him and exposed him unlike the Congress, who released him when they were in power in 2018
Challenging Surjewala to provide whatever information he has to the Enforcement Directorate or the Karnataka police, Bommai said action would be taken immediately.
The Chief Minister also sought to know why the Congress government in Karnataka between 2013 and 2019 did not probe the matter when the scam started in 2016.
"If there was a Karnataka connection to it, then why did you not probe it when you were in the government? Surjewala should question the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and ministers why their did not heed to it," Bommai charged.
He further said that Srikrishna was held for the first time in 2018, but was let go. If the police had then probed his background, they would have come to know everything about him.
"You could have done it in 2018. Why was it not done? You released him and allowed the problem to grow big," Bommai alleged.
The Chief Minister said the hacker was arrested in a drug case in 2020 and a detailed interrogation revealed his role in hacking Bitcoin portals.
Bommai also hit out at Surjewala for relying on a Twitter handle to claim that transactions worth Rs 5,240 crore took place.
"His allegations are based on something appeared on a Twitter handle. If you rely on a Twitter handle to level allegations, then it shows your mental bankruptcy. Anyone can say anything on Twitter," he alleged.
The Chief Minister said Surjewala should have spoken keeping the circumstantial evidence and witnesses with him, instead of basing his charges on tweets.
"If you rely on tweets on a Twitter handle and say that frauds to the tune of crores of Rupees has taken place, then I would clearly say that this does not suit the spokesperson of a national party," Bommai charged.
He asserted that his government is untouched by this scandal because they were the ones who arrested the hacker, investigated the scam, exposed it and referred the matter to the ED, the CBI and Interpol.
Bommai added that his government is also providing all kinds of help to the ED and the CBI.
To a query on the number of Bitcoins held by Srikrishna, Bommai said the hacker had shown an exchange account as his, though no individual can have the exchange account.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
