Karnataka Congress legislators, including cabinet, protested outside Vidhan Soudha on Monday alleging harassment by central agencies against ministers including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar.
The party alleged central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation are forcing government officials to name Siddaramaiah in their statements. The party staged the protest after an assistant director with the social welfare department complained that he was forced by ED officials to name the chief minister during the probe into the Valmiki scam.
Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar said, “It is unfortunate that an officer has been forced by the ED to call out the name of the CM and a minister. A SIT has been formed and a lot of recoveries have been made. We will take action and if the minister is involved, we will not spare him. It is our bound duty to protest against this as the country should know that ED officials cannot force anyone to name anybody... The law will take its course.” Shivakumar added he is also being targeted by the Centre and CBI is harassing him.
IT Minister Priyank Kharge charged the central agencies are conducting a scripted investigation against the CM and deputy CM. “BJP is doing surgical strike on a democratically elected government in Karnataka. ED officials are pressurising state government officials to name CM and deputy CM in the scandals they are not involved in. We are not questioning the functioning or investigation by authorities, but, you can't pressurise government officials to name them. It's a scripted investigation that is going on,” he said.