Bengaluru: Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday alleged that the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) recent raids against Karnataka home minister Dr G Parmeshwara were instigated not by the opposition, but by a faction within the ruling Congress party in the state.
Speaking to media, Joshi claimed that the ED’s action in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case followed a formal complaint submitted by members of the Congress.
“Let me make this clear: the Congress’s own people approached the Enforcement Directorate. Now they are pretending to be victims,” said the Union minister.
Joshi went on to say that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was fully aware of the developments. “The intelligence department functions under him. He knew about this but remained silent. Now he is doing drama,” he alleged.
Despite calling Parmeshwara “decent politician”, the BJP leader maintained that internal divisions within the Congress were responsible for targeting one of their own ministers. “A faction within the Congress is supplying information to investigative agencies. This is a clear sign of internal power struggles,” Joshi added.
The ED, on Wednesday and Thursday, conducted searches at multiple locations linked to educational institutions allegedly associated with the Karnataka home minister. The raids were part of an ongoing probe into alleged money laundering and smuggling activities tied to the Ranya Rao case.
The Congress has not officially responded to Joshi’s allegations. Neither Parmeshwara nor chief minister Siddaramaiah has issued a statement on the matter so far.
The BJP, meanwhile, has demanded that the Congress clarify the internal conflict and take accountability for the complaint that allegedly led to the Central agency action against its own minister.
