Denying the Congress party’s charges that the ruling BJP was targeting Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D.K. Shivakumar ahead of the bypolls to Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Sira Assembly segments in the State, Minister for Medical Education K Sudhakar said the fate of the BJP government in the State does not depend on the outcome of the byelections.
“The BJP has 117 seats of its own (in a house of 224). Hypothetically speaking, even if the BJP loses both the bypolls, what can happen to the BJP government in the State? These two seats will not decide the fate of the government”, Mr. Sudhakar said, seeking to counter the Congress party’s argument.
Also, Mr. Sudhakar said there was no truth in the Congress’s allegation that the raids against Mr. Shivakumar were politically motivated. “Why should it be politically motivated? Is Mr. Shivakumar the only leader in Congress. Isn’t Mr. Siddaramaiah there (in the party)? He was the Chief Minister for five years. Isn’t he a bigger mass leader than Mr. Shivakumar? Why are there no raids against him?”, Mr. Sudhakar questioned.
Contending that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Income Tax, Enforcement Directorate (ED) were all independent agencies, the Minister said there is no reason to suspect that the raids were due to political interference in their functioning.
He said the raids could be part of the ongoing probe against Mr. Shivakumar and added that it was an occasion for the Congress leader to come clean. “He has been claiming that he is not corrupt. It is an opportunity for him to prove his honesty”, he said. A clear picture will emerge after the probe concludes, Mr. Sudhakar said.
The Minister also recalled how Home Minister Amit Shah had been banished from Gujarat for two years when the Congress was in power at the Centre. Similiarly, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy too had been imprisoned for two years when the Congress was in power. “Can we say that there was political motivation behind this?”, he said while emphasising the need to respect the independence of these investigating agencies.
