I haven’t received any notice from ED: D.K Shivakumar
“I’m not a coward, I won’t run way”
Bengaluru, September 19: “I have not received any notice from the Enforcement Directorate. I have neither cheated anybody nor stolen anything. I have not raped. I have not done anything which is illegal. So, I am not a coward to run away for the allegations being made by the BJP”, said Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar.
Speaking to reporters at his residence here on Wednesday, Shivakumar said that “I have come from the hospital to give answer to the allegations made by the BJP spokesperson Sandeep Patra against me. It is good news that the BJP has admitted its role in the autonomous institutions of the central government. When Gujarat Congress MLAs were there at a resort in my district on August 2, 2017, the Income Tax department had conducted raids on 82 places belonging to me, my family, friends and relatives. With this, the BJP had tried to attract the MLAs who were in our custody”, he alleged.
Because of ill-health, he was admitted to the hospital. But some media have reported that he was admitted to the hospital as ED has issued a notice. He was not a coward. He would not run away. Did ED require one year to file a case against him, he asked.
“I respect the law of the land. I have responded and cooperated to the investigation of the Income Tax department officials. If I get notice from the ED, I would cooperate with them. I will come out with clean image. I have not done any mistake. The amount of Rs 6.8 crore or Rs 8 crore was not belonging to me. It belonged to my friends. But it was shown as if it was belonged to me. Rs 41 lakh found in my house belongs to me. If the IT department asked the information, I will show all the records and sources”, he said.
“IT officials have tortured my family members and friends. They have threatened my office staff and got the statements forcefully. I would not budge to any of these tortures. I have not given any amount to my party and party leaders. In which diary the code words SG, RG are there? Didn’t Sandeep Patra know what the court has said about the Jain Diary, Advani Diary, Modi diary and others, he asked.
Yeddyurappa had taken bribe through cheques. It was clarified by the IT investigating officials. Would the BJP answer about it? Yeddyurappa was day dreaming of forming BJP government in a couple of days by sending him to the jail. He would not fear about the jail. He would face everything. Nothing was permanent in the politics, Shivakumar said.
In view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, the BJP leaders have been trying to damage the Congress. The BJP people could not form the government in the state. They have lured the Congress MLAs with money and position. He would disclose everything in an appropriate time. BJP leaders should understand that it might be in power or not. But the autonomous institutions would remain permanently. “Sandeep Patra does not know what documents the IT officials have taken from my home. Let ED officials call me. I will tell them everything. I will display all the diaries and copies before the people of the country. In 2019, the country will show you the result for your deeds. You cannot blackmail us. When raids were conducted on 82 places, the officials have forcefully got the statements from my staff, friends and family members that all property and documents belonged to me. We will fight in the court of law and prove it wrong”, he said.
“Even if they send me to the jail, the BJP cannot form the government in the state. For what purpose they will arrest me? I have not done any hawala. Rs 41 laklh was my money and remaining amount belonged to my friends. There are no confusions in my party. Why should I get anticipatory bail”, he asked.
“I have accounts for every single rupee I have. I have paid Rs 30 crore tax from my family. I should have sent four MLAs during Gujarat Rajga Sabha election. But I have not betrayed the party. BJP Lok Sabha Members have informed my brother DK Suresh about the conspiracy being hatched out against me by the BJP leaders. This is not good for the BJP people. Even the Chief Minister is aware of all these issues. I will not budge to any pressure”, he said.
“Why should I resign? Those who have been to jail will become CM candidate (Yeddyurappa) and those who were in jail became the national president of the party (Amith Shah). Before any charge sheet against me, they are asking my resignation. They have been trying to mislead the court by putting pressure on it”.
- DK Shivakumar, Water Resources Minister
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Jamshedpur man among crew of LPG vessel back from West Asia, family heaves sigh of relief
Jamshedpur (PTI): A family in Jharkhand's Jamshedpur heaved a sigh of relief after learning that the Indian-flagged LPG vessel Shivalik, on which their son was working, had safely reached Gujarat's Mundra port after crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in West Asia.
Mithilesh Tripathy said his only son, Ansh Tripathy, who serves as the second engineer on the vessel, was responsible for monitoring the ship's technical operations during the journey through the strategically crucial maritime corridor.
Tripathy said he last spoke to his son over a WhatsApp call about four to five days ago, when the vessel was leaving Qatar.
"They were instructed to maintain a safe distance from the Strait of Hormuz until they received the green signal from headquarters. The Indian government was negotiating with Iranian authorities to ensure safe passage," Tripathy told PTI.
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A former flight engineer with the Indian Air Force, Tripathy later worked at Uranium Corporation of India in Jadugora near Jamshedpur. He now lives in a residential society near Pardih in the city.
Speaking about his son, Tripathy said Ansh completed his schooling in Jamshedpur and Jadugora, pursued mechanical engineering at BIT, and later graduated as a marine engineer from Kochi. He joined the Shipping Corporation of India around 2014-15.
"Before leaving Qatar, Ansh told me they were heading towards the Indian Ocean. That was all he said," he added, noting that he did not discuss the number of crew members on board.
Tripathy said the family remained anxious after hearing about the war in West Asia.
"We were extremely worried about Ansh and the crew members since the war broke out in the region. We were glued to the TV for updates," he said, expressing relief after hearing that the ship had reached Mundra port safely.
"It was a very painful time, but we were confident that if my son and the crew returned safely, it would be due to the efforts of PM Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar," he said.
Tripathy said that while people may hold different views about the tensions in West Asia, his experience in the Air Force helped him understand the realities of operating in a conflict zone.
Two Indian-flagged LPG carriers, Shivalik and Nanda Devi, with 92,712 metric tonnes of LPG, crossed the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday following negotiations between India and Iran.
Shivalik arrived at the Mundra Port on Monday with 46,000 metric tonnes of LPG ordered by Indian Oil Corp Ltd, officials said.
While 20,000 MT will be unloaded at Mundra, 26,000 MT will be unloaded at Mangaluru, they said.
Nanda Devi is scheduled to reach Gujarat's Kandla port on Tuesday, they added.
These two ships were among the 24 ships stranded on the west side of the strait since the war broke out in the region.
Besides the 24 on the west side of the strait, four others were stranded on the east side.
India imports about 88 per cent of its crude oil, 50 per cent of its natural gas and 60 per cent of its LPG needs. Before the US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Tehran's retaliation, more than half of India's crude imports, about 30 per cent of gas and 85-90 per cent of LPG imports came from West Asian countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The conflict has led to a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the main transit route for Gulf energy supplies.
