Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has dismissed as “baseless” the BJP’s alllegation linking the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash of over Rs 50 crore during an I-T raid in the city to the state’s ruling Congress.
“This allegation is baseless. Contractors do not belong to any political party. Neither we ask them (contractors), nor they give us,” he told reporters in Mysuru.
State BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel earlier in the day alleged that the money was linked to the Congress.
Tthe BJP has decided to stage two-day protest till Tuesday in various district and taluka headquarters, demanding Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar’s resignations.
Kateel claimed that a few days after Rs 600 crore was released to the contractors, over Rs 45 crore was seized from a contractor’s house, “making it clear that this unaccounted money is linked to the Congress, and it is their money”.
“I demand that the CM and the DCM resign owing to moral responsibility,” he said.
He also alleged that the seized money was meant to fund elections in five poll-bound states. “The Congress is running an ATM government in Karnataka to fund elections,” he said.
Union Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi alleged that the Congress has set a target of collecting Rs 1,000 crore from Karnataka alone.
Income Tax raids were carried out at more than 45 places in Karnataka, mostly in Bengaluru. Over Rs 50 crore was seized from various people including Rs 42 crore from a contractor and his son.
The raids started on Thursday, and it is still underway, I-T officials stated.
