High command will address ED's targeting of Karnataka govt: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, July 23 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that he has discussed the issue of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) targeting the Congress government with the party’s high command and they will address the issue.

“I have discussed the matter with the high command. They will also take up this issue. We are ready to fight a legal battle. I don’t know what the ED and CBI are going to do. About 90 per cent of the investigation has been completed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT),” the Chief Minister said while staging a protest condemning the ED’s move to force an officer to implicate the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in an alleged Tribal Welfare Board case.

He said that SIT is carrying out the investigation and will initiate stern action against the accused.

“We will not show mercy to anyone and won’t protect anyone involved in the scam. We will punish the guilty. The investigation into Tribal Welfare case is progressing well,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the future action will be taken in consultation with the high command.

“The ED never bothered to look into the scams which occurred during the BJP’s rule. They never investigated the Bhovi Development Board scam, Devraj Urs Development Board scam, APMC scam, or the misappropriations that took place during the Corona pandemic under the BJP,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the BJP leaders who are repeatedly demanding a CBI probe never agreed to a CBI probe when they were in power.

“The BJP referred to the CBI as the ‘Chor Bachao Institute’ when they were in opposition. Now, since the BJP is ruling at the Centre, they want a CBI probe for everything. The Congress government had handed over many cases to the CBI,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the government will take a discretionary call on handing over cases for a CBI probe.

“As per the guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the CBI can probe a scam if it involves more than Rs 25 crore,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that the ED is trying to destabilise an elected government in Karnataka.

“We are staging a symbolic protest to condemn this. We will also raise our concerns in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council,” he said.

The Karnataka Police on Monday registered an FIR against the two Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers who are investigating the State Tribal Welfare Board case.