ED searches: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses Centre of targeting Cong leaders
Chamarajanagara (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the central government and its agencies of consistently targeting Congress members by using searches on their properties, and questioned why similar action is not taken against BJP leaders.
He was reacting to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday on several individuals, among them the sons of Karnataka Congress MLA N A Haris and the grandson of former Union Cabinet minister K Rahman Khan, in connection with a cryptocurrency-linked money laundering case.
"The central government always targets Congress leaders. Will they raid the houses of BJP leaders?" Siddaramaiah said in response to a question. More than a dozen premises in the city were searched as part of the operation carried out by the ED under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The premises searched comprised those of Mohammed Haris Nalapad and Omar Farook Nalapad, the sons of the MLA; Aqeeb Khan, the grandson of veteran Congress leader K Rahman Khan; and an alleged crypto hacker, Srikrishna Ramesh, alias Sriki, officials said.
The money laundering case stems from Karnataka Police FIRs and charge sheets filed in a 2017 case involving the hacking of national and international websites, theft of bitcoins, and the sale of these stolen virtual digital assets (VDAs) through crypto platforms by the alleged hacker Sriki and his associates.
Mohammed Haris Nalapad, Omar Farook Nalapad, and Aqeeb Khan are alleged to be beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime generated through this crypto-linked activity, officials added.
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Zameer Ahmed reacts to Muslim leaders’ letter to Congress high command
Bengaluru: Minister Zameer Ahmed has responded to reports of Muslim community leaders writing to the Congress high command expressing concerns.
Speaking to reporters, he said he had seen the letter in the media and noted that around 15–16 community leaders had written to Rahul Gandhi, as well as to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Mallikarjun Kharge.
“They have expressed their views. If you want to know their opinion, you should ask them. I cannot speak on their behalf,” he said.
Stressing that there is no discrimination, Zameer Ahmed said everyone is being treated equally. “Since those who wrote the letter are community leaders, the reasons behind it should be asked to them directly,” he added.
He also said that different leaders express different views. “One person may speak in my favour, another may speak for someone else. There is no need to consider all that,” he said, referring to discussions around leaders like Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed.
On the issue concerning Naseer Ahmed, Zameer Ahmed said he is a senior leader and that if any anti-party activity was involved, due process should have been followed. “There is a procedure, a notice should be issued first, a reply should be obtained, and then action should be taken. This is also the view expressed by Satish Jarkiholi and several others,” he said.
He clarified that he is not saying action against anyone is wrong if anti-party activity is proven, but decisions should follow proper procedure.
Responding to demands that action against Abdul Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed be withdrawn, he said steps should be taken as per rules and that there was a view that immediate action may not have been necessary.
On the mention in the letter about “teaching a lesson” in future elections, he said there is indeed some dissatisfaction among political and community leaders. “We will speak and resolve the issues. Those who have written the letter should be asked directly,” he said.
