Not bothered how long I survive as CM, says Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Oct 23: H.D Kumaraswamy Tuesday asserted that the opportunity to occupy the post of Karnataka Chief Minister was "godsend" for him and he was not bothered how long he would occupy the chair.
Kumaraswamy, who is heading the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and facing frequent pinpricks from some sections of the coalition partner, said both parties had come together to save the state and not for any vested interests.
He also said the Narendra Modi "trend" witnessed in 2014 general election no more existed, as reflected in the results of several bypolls across the country.
"Karnataka has provided a new platform for the 2019 parliamentary elections and a new political change will take place from here," he said.
Kumaraswamy claimed the results of the November 3 bypolls in three Lok Sabha and two assembly constituencies in Karnataka would impact the poll outcome in the five states where assembly polls are to be held.
"Karnataka will send across a message to the nation for the 2019 election. There is a new thinking process going on in the country and Karnataka offers the platform for it," he said.
Responding to a query, he said, "I am not bothered how long I am here in this post. I believe I am here for five years. God gave me this opportunity, which I have to use for the benefit of people," he said at a meet-the-press programme organised by Press Club of Bangalore and Bangalore Reporters Guild.
The JD(S) and the Congress had entered into a post-poll alliance after the May assembly polls yielded a hung verdict with the BJP emerging as the single largest party but failing to muster the numbers to form a government.
"We did not form the government to advance our vested interests. It is a government to save the state and its people. It is not a government to protect Siddaramaiah or Kumaraswamy," he said.
The chief minister was peeved at BJP's allegations against the coalition government that it was a product of opportunism.
"Our BJP friends say that Siddaramaiah and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda were opportunists. They (BJP leaders) recall Deve Gowda's statement that finishing off Siddaramaiah was his sole objective but today the opportunists came together," he said.
"However, what will you say about BJP's interest or arrangement? It was (state BJP president) Yeddyurappa who said in 2013 (after breaking away from BJP) that my dead body will also not go to the BJP. Look at the language the BJP leaders used," he said.
On the Congress-JD(S) coalition arrangement, Kumaraswamy said developments in Karnataka had always impacted national politics.
In this context, he said Karnataka provided a platform to V P Singh to become the prime minister.
Kumaraswamy recalled the crop loan waiver, emphasis on improving education and allocation of more funds under the Anna Bhagya scheme providing 7 kg rice to each member of families belonging to the below poverty line as some of the progressive steps the government has taken.
Speaking about infrastructure projects, Kumaraswamy said the peripheral ring road and outer ring road in Bengaluru that was pending for a long time has been given life once again.
He also said 440 bridges in the rural areas would be constructed where people were forced to build temporary wooden bridges that could jeopardise their lives.
To improve administration, he said his government has streamlined the transfer process and has given a free hand to the police to take stringent action against anti-social elements.
Kumaraswamy said his government would act tough against "corrupt elements" and cited the case of two officers who were raided recently while 18 kg gold was seized from their possession.
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ED arrests Sandeepa Virk, 'cosmetologist' for alleged money laundering
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday it has arrested a woman, who claims to be an actor and a cosmetologist, under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged fraud and misrepresentation.
The agency said the purported links of the woman, Sandeepa Virk, with a Reliance Group executive, Angarai Natarajan Sethuraman (President, Corporate Affairs), are also under its scanner. Sethuraman, in a statement, denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Virk was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday after searches were conducted against her and her associates in Delhi and Mumbai over the last two days.
A special court sent her to the ED's custody till August 14, the agency said. The woman claims to be the owner of a skin care products selling website named hyboocare.com, which the ED claimed was a "front" for money laundering.
She and her associates are being probed for allegedly exerting undue influence through "misrepresentation" and "defrauding" individuals by soliciting money under false pretences.
According to an Instagram ID of Virk, she is an actor and entrepreneur and the founder of the said website.
The federal agency said in a statement that the woman was also "in touch with" Sethuraman, former director of erstwhile Reliance Capital Limited.
She was communicating with him regarding "illegal liaisoning", the ED claimed, adding that the searches at Sethuraman's residence "confirmed" these allegations.
"Besides, diversion of funds for personal benefit has also been unearthed during the course of the search action," it said.
The ED alleged that public money worth about Rs 18 crore belonging to Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) was disbursed to Sethuraman in 2018 by "flouting" prudent lending norms.
The funds were lent under terms that allowed a deferment of the principal amount as well as the interest, with multiple waivers granted and no due diligence conducted, it said.
The ED claimed that besides this, a home loan of Rs 22 crore was provided by Reliance Capital Limited by "violating" the prudential norms. "A large part of these loans are seen to have been eventually siphoned off and remained unpaid," it alleged.
Sethuraman, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as "baseless". He denied any connection with Virk or any transactions related to her.
Detailing about Virk's web portal, the agency said it purportedly sold FDA-approved beauty products. However, the ED said the products listed on the website have been found to be non-existent and the portal lacks a user registration option and is plagued by persistent payment gateway issues.
A scrutiny of the website uncovered minimal social-media engagement, an inactive WhatsApp contact number and an absence of transparent organisational details, all of which reinforce the finding of "non-genuine" commercial activity, the ED claimed.
"These factors, including limited product range, inflated pricing, false claims of FDA approval and technical inconsistencies, indicate that the website serves as a front for laundering funds," it said.
Another social media-hosted bio data of the woman said she is a certified cosmetologist.
The ED said several "incriminating" documents were seized during the searches and the statement of a man named Farrukh Ali, stated to be an associate of Virk, was recorded.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the Punjab Police.
Sethuraman said that the home loan he received from Reliance Capital was granted following due process and was secured by the property offered as collateral.
