ED officials threatened officer to mention my name: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, July 23 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials threatened the former Tribal Welfare Development Board Managing Director B. Kallesh to mention his name in the alleged case.

“They (ED) pressured him (officer Kallesh) with arrest, subjected him to mental pressure and coerced him with life threat only to implicate me legally in the case. Kallesh filed a police complaint. In the complaint, he had detailed his ordeal,” the Chief Minister said while staging a protest at the Vidhana Soudha, condemning the alleged high handedness of the ED.

The Chief Minister said that the investigation into the allegations made by the deceased Chandrasekaran’s wife, Kavitha, and the complaint by Padmanabha, is progressing positively.

He said that the bank’s General Manager, Deputy Manager, and Credit Officers are responsible for the misconduct, according to a complaint filed by the bank.

“We are not aware of what they have done. The ED started the investigation on its own and conducted raids on the houses of former minister B. Nagendra and Tribal Welfare Board Chairman and Congress MLA Basanagouda Daddal,” he said.

The Chief Minister said that Nagendra is in judicial custody and despite Kallesh speaking out, the ED is forcing him to give the names of the Chief Minister and other ministers.

“Out of the total Rs 187.33 crore, Rs 43.33 crore has been taken from the treasury. Neither I nor the Finance Department is related to it. The budget process involves approvals being given to the secretaries of grants, then to the directors, who allocate the funds to the managing directors. This is the process,” the Chief Minister said.

“We have not stated that there is no wrongdoing in the Valmiki Tribal Welfare Development Corporation. The opposition has repeatedly accused us of misusing Rs 187.33 crore. Out of this, Rs 89.63 crore was transferred from Union Bank of India, MG Road Branch, to Telangana,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that after the formation of the SIT, the investigation progressed swiftly.

“Twelve people have been arrested so far and Rs 34 crore in cash has been recovered. Out of Rs 89.63 crore, Rs 46 crore is held in Fist Finance Cooperative Bank and Ratnakar Bank Ltd,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that a total of Rs 85.25 crore has been seized and recovered. “The total amount involved in the misconduct is Rs 85.63 crore. The SIT has completed 95 per cent of the investigation,” the Chief Minister said.

He said that three investigation agencies are probing the irregularities in the Valmiki Tribal Welfare Development Corporation. The SIT was formed on May 31, 2024, and a complaint was filed with the CBI on June 3, 2024, by the bank, adding, that this complaint involves Suchi Smita Rawool, Deepa, and Krishnamurthy.

“The ED is conducting its investigation independently. It is unprecedented in my experience, for three investigation agencies to investigate the same case,” the Chief Minister said.

He also accused the Central government of adopting unfair means to destabilise the state government, target the Chief Minister, and tarnish his and the government’s reputation.

He claimed that this was being done to convince the people of the state that the Congress government is against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

“We have always stood for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, weaker sections, the poor, farmers, and labourers. However, the Central government is using underhanded tactics to ensure that the Congress government in Karnataka falls. Neither the Finance Department nor I am involved in this case,” the Chief Minister said.