Centre is targeting Congress MLAs: HDK

Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy, strongly in support to former minister and senior Congress leader, D K Shivakumar, who was sent to the ED custody till September 13 by a Delhi court on Wednesday questioned that what weer thw the Income Tax department doing while BJP leaders in the state were laundering thousands of crores to purchase opposition MLAs since 2008.

Addressing pressperson here at the office of the Janata Dal (S) said, “Tax department officials di nothing while Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had himself admitted of offering Rs 10 crore to a JD(S) legislator’s son , Sharanagouda, to persuade his father to join the BJP.”

He further added, “I had released that audio tape and Yeddyurappa had accepted that it was his voice on it. State BJP leaders offered crores under Operation Lotus. When the BJP came to power in 2008, they offered between Rs 10 crore to Rs 20 crore to opposition MLAs to lure them. This time also they have lured MLAs with money to bring down the coalition government.”

“Where are they getting this money to give to these legislators? When we have all this information, do you think IT and ED officials don’t?” he questioned.

Earlier on September 1 Kumaraswamy had slammed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for ‘refusing’ to allow a plea by senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar for exempting him from appearance before it on Monday in view of Ganesha Chaturthi festival.

Kumaraswamy termed as vindictive attitude the ED’s action in summoning Shivakumar to appear before it on a festival day.

Shivakumar was a Minister in Kumaraswamy lead Congress-JD(S) coalition government.