Bengaluru: Ministers in Karnataka have raised concerns over the selective investigation tactics of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Valmiki Corporation scam. They questioned why similar attention was not given to scams that occurred under the previous BJP government.
During a press conference at Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka’s Minister of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Priyank Kharge, along with Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao, KJ George, and Santosh Lad, criticized the central agencies’ approach.
Kharge pointed out scams in various corporations and trusts, such as the APMC, Bovi Corporation, Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, Dr. Ambedkar Development Corporation, and Devaraj Arasu Trust, questioning why these were not investigated.
Kharge accused the BJP of a pattern of overthrowing state governments through strategic operations in states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Gujarat. He presented statistics claiming that since 2014, 444 MLAs have been influenced through agencies like the IT department, ED, and CBI to destabilize governments with a majority.
Kharge also alleged that ED officials are pressuring individuals involved in the Valmiki Corporation scam to name the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and other ministers as part of the investigation.
He questioned why cases against former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and the Reddy brothers were not being pursued, suggesting that those who refuse to join the BJP face undue pressure.
Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda also raised these concerns, accusing the central government of misusing investigative agencies like the IT, ED, and CBI to target states with opposition governments. He claimed that forced statements were being extracted during the Valmiki Corporation scam investigation to implicate government officials.
