‘DyCM Ashwath Narayan was kingpin of BBMP fire that destroyed incriminating files in 2011’

Bengaluru, Sept 5: Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has reiterated that incumbent deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan was a “kingpin” in the fire that destroyed incriminating files at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office in 2011.

Documents stored in the file room of the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) police station were lost in the fire. The BMTF, the agency empowered to probe corruption in BBMP, BDA and BWSSB, had reportedly named top political leaders and contractors in a report into a multi-crore rupee bogus bill scam.

“The DyCM has spoken of building a new India. These people... do we not know who they are? Is he not one of the kingpins who set fire to BBMP files inside the Palike headquarters?” said Kumaraswamy, reacting to Narayan’s comment that Congress leader D K Shivakumar was paying the price for indulging in corruption.

Kumaraswamy said the BJP central leadership was practising “vendetta politics against his friend” but it wasn’t a first. “Several bureaucrats including N Vittal, who retired as the chief vigilance commissioner, have recorded how successive governments used the ED and I-T to harass opponents,” said Kumaraswamy.

Veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun M Kharge also called it vendetta politics. He said his colleague had abided by the law and appeared each time ED and I-T officials had summoned him. “They [BJP] are under this impression that by arresting Congress leaders, the cadre and its party will be weakened,” Kharge said. “Shivakumar made himself available every time the ED summoned him, so why this arrest? Was he planning to fly abroad or was he hiding?”

In Mysuru, Congress Legislature Party leader and former CM Siddaramaiah reiterated that the arrest of Shivakumar was illegal. “Arrests are generally made when a criminal has murdered someone, has committed dacoity or the law fears that the person will run away or will destroy evidence,” Siddaramaiah said. “This arrest is nothing but intentional and politically motivated arrest.”