ED pressurised me to name CM, Deputy CM in Valmiki scam, alleges Cong MLA Nagendra
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Karnataka Minister B Nagendra, who walked out of the jail on Wednesday, alleged that he was pressurised by the ED to name Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar in the multi-crore scam in Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
He also charged the ED (Directorate of Enforcement) with arresting him under pressure from the BJP as part of a conspiracy to destabilise the Congress government.
A special court here on Monday granted bail to the Congress MLA, who was arrested by the ED in connection with the scam.
"The BJP that is governing the country is conspiring to somehow destabilise the Congress governments wherever in power. For three months, I was harassed by the ED with the intention to destabilise our government. Despite no role of mine in the Valmiki scam, all of a sudden I was arrested. On pressure from the BJP central leaders, ED tried to destabilise the state government by arresting me," Nagendra said.
Speaking to reporters after being released from the jail, he said, he was pressured to name Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar in connection with the scam.
"I rejected it saying that when my role itself is not there (in the scam), where is their (CM & DCM) role? Where is the government's role? There is no connection between the scam that has taken place in the bank and the government. Despite that, BJP both in the state and at the Centre conspired, as they have done in the 'MUDA' scam," he said.
Asked about the context where he was pressured to name the CM, the former minister said, "it was in connection with the Finance Department (held by the CM)."
"Without any written orders, without any orders money was transferred. At the time when there was a code of conduct (during Lok Sabha polls), bank officials without even checking KYC have done it. It is not a state government scam, it is a bank scam. Neither the chief minister nor I as the concerned minister was aware of it. Unnecessarily, ED is trying to link his (CM) name to it," he said.
Nagendra had resigned as the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister in June following allegations of his involvement in the scam.
The ED had recently said that Nagendra had been identified as the primary accused and mastermind behind the scam, allegedly orchestrating it with the help of 24 others.
The ED had in July arrested Nagendra under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and also five other key accused during the investigation.
"Only leaders of other parties like -- Kejriwal (former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal), Sisodia (Manish Sisodia), Kavitha (Telangana MLC and Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader) -- are being arrested by the ED, but we have faith in the judiciary as it is in no one's clutches, that's the reason I have got bail today," the Congress leader said.
To a question on the Valmiki corporation money being used for the Lok Sabha and other election, Nagendra said the investigation is on. The SIT (constituted by the state government) has said that the money was not misused for election.
Asked if he would be made minister again, Nagendra said, it is left to the Congress high command, Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.
"I have courage that as a common party worker I have saved the government. This fight won't end for any reason. The work towards rooting out the BJP will begin from Karnataka. We will show our courage by ensuring Congress' win in Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna by-polls," he said.
The ED had said its investigation revealed that under the influence of Nagendra, the account of the corporation was moved to the MG Road Branch (of bank) without any proper authorisation, where Rs 187 crore, including Rs. 43.33 crore from the State Treasury under the 'Ganga Kalyana Scheme', were deposited without following proper procedures and in violation of government guidelines.
"These funds were subsequently siphoned off through multiple shell accounts and converted into cash and bullion. ED investigation also revealed that an amount of Rs 20.19 crore of the diverted funds was used to support a candidate contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Bellary constituency, as well as for the personal expenses of B Nagendra," the federal probe agency added.
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Hemant Karkare dying at hands of Kasab ‘Karmic Justice’: Shefali Vaidya on Col. Purohit’s promotion
Shefali Vaidya’s ‘karmic justice’ remark on Hemant Karkare sparks controversy.
Columnist Shefali Vaidya said that the death of former ATS chief Hemant Karkare was “almost karmic justice,” while expressing support for the promotion of Shrikant Purohit.
In the post, she wrote, “Col Purohit to be made Brigadier! This is the least Indian Army could do to restore the honour of an officer who was wrongly accused, framed on false charges, tortured beyond imagination and lost many years of his life thanks to anti-national, evil Congress.”
She further stated, “the way Maharashtra ATS Hemant Karkare died at the hands of Kasab was almost karmic justice, for having tortured Col Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya and others in the fake Hindu terror case. Ditto for disgraced cop Parambir Singh!”
Her post came after reports that Colonel Purohit, who was acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case last year, has been approved for promotion to Brigadier.
Defence sources cited by Indian Express had indicated that less than a month after his retirement was put on hold by the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), he has been approved for promotion to Brigadier.
According to the report, he will now continue in service for at least two more years, up to the age of 56, which is the retirement age for Brigadiers, compared to 54 for Colonels.
Purohit had reportedly approached the AFT, stating that the 17-year-long trial had affected his career progression and denied him the opportunity to be considered for promotions.
Though he was granted bail in 2017, he remained under a Discipline and Vigilance (DV) ban, which was lifted in July 2020. Due to this, his promotion to the rank of Colonel was reportedly withheld in 2021.
The controversy around remarks on Karkare is not new.
Earlier, YouTuber Dhruv Rathee had highlighted instances of social media users allegedly making derogatory comments about the slain officer.
Hemant Karkare, a 1982-batch IPS officer, served as the chief of the Mumbai ATS and led the investigation into the 2008 Malegaon blasts. He was killed in action on November 26, 2008, during the 2008 Mumbai attacks while responding to terrorist activity near Cama Hospital. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra in 2009.
According to the Mumbai Police chargesheet, Karkare, along with Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and Inspector Vijay Salaskar, was killed in an exchange of fire with Pakistani terrorists, including Ajmal Amir Kasab and Abu Ismail Khan.
The officers were ambushed near Rang Bhavan Lane while moving towards Cama Hospital.
According to a report by India Today, BJP leader Pragya Singh Thakur had earlier claimed that Karkare died as a result of a “curse,” while Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar had alleged that an “RSS-linked cop” was responsible for Karkare’s death, citing claims from a book by S.M. Mushrif.
