National Herald case: Shivakumar to seek time to appear before Delhi Police

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said he will seek time from Delhi Police to appear next week in connection with the National Herald case, citing the ongoing Assembly session and seeking a copy of the FIR

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Monday said he will ask for time from the Delhi police to appear before them next week, to provide the required information as part of the probe into the National Herald case.

He said he will seek time after the ongoing winter session of the Karnataka legislature ends on December 19. He will also ask the Delhi police to provide him with the FIR copy.

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Shivakumar, who is in the national capital, had earlier said that he would appear before the Delhi police on Monday. But, he postponed the plan in order to rush back to Karnataka to participate in the last rites of veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa, scheduled later in the day in Davangere.

“I had to go (to appear before the Delhi police), but I have to go back urgently. I’m asking them for time, stating that I will come next week,” Shivakumar told reporters in New Delhi.

“They (Delhi police) have not attached the FIR copy while issuing notice to me. I need a FIR copy, because we had already given all the required replies to the ED. I don’t know what the FIR says, I only read in papers. They have given notice, so I will ask for a FIR copy. I will come next week after the Assembly session.”

The Delhi Police had issued a notice to Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress chief, seeking financial and transactional details as part of its probe into the National Herald case.

The notice issued by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) states that Shivakumar is “supposed to have vital information” about the National Herald case registered on October 3 this year, against top Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

In the notice dated November 29, the EOW had asked Shivakumar to appear before it or provide the requested information by December 19 latest. Investigators have sought details about his personal background, his association with the Congress party, and a complete breakup of funds allegedly transferred by him or associated entities to Young Indian.

To a question on meeting AICC General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, amid the ongoing power tussle between him and CM Siddaramaiah over the Chief Minister post, Shivakumar said that when he comes to Delhi, he usually meets everyone.

“Whether it is Surjewala or Kharge (AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge) or Venugopal, I will meet everyone. During lunch yesterday, I met Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. I have met everyone. What’s wrong?” he asked.

Shivakumar was in Delhi to take part in Congress’s “Vote Chori” rally on Sunday, and had also participated in the lunch organised by the party for its leaders.

Responding to a question, whether any meeting is planned with leaders today, the Deputy CM said, he and Kharge will be travelling together to Karnataka to pay their last respects to Shamanuru Shivashankarappa.

Asked if he will seek time for a separate meeting with Congress leadership, including Rahul Gandhi, during the next visit to Delhi, Sivakumar said, “Such things will be there between us in the party…. You don’t worry.”