ED raids in Karnataka spark allegations of political motive, targeting congress leaders

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asserts that the enforcement actions aim to divide the party ahead of the 2024 elections, while top leaders deny any involvement in the alleged scam

Kalaburagi: On Wednesday In Kalaburagi, Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on locations linked to several Congress leaders were designed to split the party in Karnataka. The raids targeted four Congress leaders, one MP and three MLAs along with others connected to the Maharshi Valmiki Tribal Welfare Board scam case. Kharge asserted that this was not a new tactic, similar operations during election times previously led to the seizure of funds, and yet no one has confirmed what happened to that money.

Kharge suggested that the raids, which are based on allegations of misusing government funds for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, are driven more by personal grudges than by solid evidence. He stressed that Congress MLAs have been specifically targeted and insisted that any attempt to divide the party would fail.

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Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, who was in Delhi, said he first learned about the raids from media reports. He firmly denied any connection between the party leaders and the scam, clarifying that there was no instance of money being distributed to voters during the elections. According to him, nearly 90% of the misused funds have already been recovered, reinforcing his stance that the allegations are baseless.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, speaking from Chikkaballapura, urged that any action be taken only against those found guilty. His Economic Advisor, Basavaraj Rayareddy, criticized the selective targeting of Congress leaders. He claimed that the ED operations are intended to intimidate Congress representatives and accused the BJP of engaging in politics of hatred. Similarly, Congress MLC B.K. Hariprasad stated that the BJP has turned the ED into a tool for attacking its political opponents.

The ED, deploying a team of 60 officers, carried out simultaneous raids at eight locations, five in the Ballary district and three in Bengaluru. The operations were conducted at the residences and offices of Congress Ballary MP E. Tukaram, as well as Congress MLAs Na. Ra. Bharath Reddy, J.N. Ganesh (alias Kampli Ganesh), and N.T. Srinivas. Additionally, searches were performed at the Bengaluru office of former Minister and Congress MLA Nagendra and at the residence of Govardhan, the personal assistant to Ballary Congress MLA and former Minister B. Nagendra.