Karnataka Congress president D.K. Shivakumar on Monday accused the BJP of political witch-hunt and said he was sent to the Tihar jail for not joining the saffron party.
“I was lodged in prison for not supporting you (BJP). I was jailed because people were upset that I didn’t join the BJP,” Shivakumar said, responding to BJP minister K.S. Eshwarappa’s statement as to why he went to Tihar jail, reported IANS.
Shivakumar was lodged in jail for 50 days in 2019 after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of money laundering. The case was based on a charge sheet filed by the Income-Tax Department in the previous year, alleging tax evasion and hawala transactions running into crores of rupees. Shivakumar, however, had maintained that there was no evidence against him.
The Congress leader attacked the state government over a range of issues and asked why the BJP is hesitant on implementing the Mahadayi project despite being in power both in the state and at the Centre.
“Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai knows everything. He has handled the water resources portfolio. But his Cabinet minister Eshawarappa is talking about change of Chief Minister in the state,” he said.
He also ridiculed B.S. Yediyurappa’s statement on finishing the Congress in the state and said the former chief minister is being tortured in his own party.
“Yediyurappa’s close aides have been raided, and he is tortured in the party everyday. That is why he is venting all his frustration on the Congress. He can’t do that against anyone in the BJP,” Shivakumar said.
On Sunday, Shivakumar said the BJP is jealous of the Congress’s internal democracy and work culture. “Everyone knows that if Sonia Gandhi wished, she could have easily become the Prime Minister. But she chose Manmohan Singh, as he was a good administrator,” he said, addressing an election rally in Belagavi district.
