Bitcoin case: Home Minister Araga Jnanendra asks Congress to provide evidence
Bengaluru, Nov 11: Accusing Congress leaders of creating unnecessary confusion over the alleged 'bitcoin scam', Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Thursday challenged them to provide evidence if any, to the investigating agencies.
He also accused the Congress of indulging in "hit and run" regarding the issue.
Pointing out that the accused in the bitcoin case, Srikrishna alias Sriki, was arrested during the Congress regime in connection with a brawl in a hotel, Jnanendra said, "Congress leaders knew who all were associated with him."
Let Congress leaders, without mixing politics in the bitcoin issue, provide evidence they have, the Home Minister was quoted as saying by his office in a statement.
Jnanendra also said there was no need to misread Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's Delhi visit in the backdrop of this row, as he had gone there concerning the development of the state and its administrative interest.
"The CM visiting Delhi and meeting leaders is nothing new," he added.
Bommai was on a two-day visit to the national capital, since Wednesday, during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP National President J P Nadda.
There has been speculation for some time now about involvement of politically influential people in the scam after CCB officials seized bitcoins worth Rs 9 crore from a city-based hacker, Srikrishna alias Sriki, who is also accused of hacking into government portals, sourcing drugs through the dark net, and paying for it through cryptocurrency.
While Congress leaders alleging involvement of senior BJP leaders, their family members and senior officials in the scam, have accused the government of trying to cover up, the ruling party too in its counter has alleged involvement of leaders from the grand old party.
Congress leader and MLA Priyank Kharge on Wednesday had even claimed that the bitcoin scam will cost Chief Minister Bommai his job and the BJP government will see a third CM this time too, as witnessed in 2008-13.
However, according to a statement from CMO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during today's meeting has asked Bommai not to bother about the issue and focus on welfare work for the people of the state.
The gesture reflects the solid support from the Prime Minister for Bommai's leadership, it said.
Meanwhile, continuing his attack on the BJP government regarding the bitcoin scam, state Congress President D K Shivakumar claimed that he has certain information and at the appropriate time he will speak about it.
"Someone is involved and an attempt is on to fix someone else. If they (BJP govt) know Congress people are involved, why are they delaying the arrest....they are trying to link some old drug case, to fix Congress leaders and their family members, to cause damage to the party. No one can cause damage to Congress," he said.
Urging the government to place the facts of the case and names of those involved before the people, Shivakumar said certain names and details are being selectively leaked to the media, by those in power, to protect some one.
On the bitcoin issue, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said according to information that he has got, the accused has hacked into Jan Dhan accounts and transferred Rs 2 from each account, amounting to about Rs 6,000 crore, and that's the reason why PM Modi might have taken this case seriously, resulting in things coming out slowly.
Noting that there are too many speculations regarding involvement of senior police officers and politicians in the bitcoin scam, he also said that there are serious doubts about attempts of cover up.
Seeking to know who is working in favour of the main accused Sriki, in getting him a bail, he alleged attempts to protect some one.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
