Bengaluru, Aug 6: Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government’s taxmen have failed to dampen the hospitality spirit of Congress stalwart and Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar in spite of 72-long unprecedented raid.
On Saturday Shivakumar resumed charge of Gujarat Congress MLAs lodged in a resort outside Bengaluru to prevent poaching by the BJP, endorsing his loyalty to his party.
Clad in a crisp cream-coloured shirt and a white dhoti, Shivakumar exuded confidence as he led the Gujarat MLAs on their visit to Raj Bhavan, where they met Governor Vajubhai Vala and later, took them around Vidhana Soudha briefly. He joined the MLAs in singing the popular devotional song Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Vidhana Soudha premises. They posed in front of the Vidhana Soudha waving at the cameras, before boarding two buses back to the resort.
The Congress wants to exercise caution with reference to the I-T raids, lest it is projected as defending corruption. The party high command has reportedly asked state leaders to be guarded while defending Shivakumar, with an instruction that they must question only the timing of the raids. No Congress leader was with Shivakumar.
“This is not the time for me to say anything,” was Shivakumar’s initial reaction to reporters after emerging from his Sadashivanagar home, where he was confined during the raid since Wednesday. Refusing to divulge details despite repeated queries, Shivakumar said he would “explain everything” after getting copies of the panchanama.
“I’m not the kind of person who violates the law and the Constitution... the truth will come out,” he said. “All our leaders across the country have stood by me during this crisis. I have not and will not do anything to embarrass the party.” “I am no fool”
In a cryptic yet political remark, Shivakumar said, “I hail from a village, but I’m not a fool. I came to Bengaluru to do politics.” He told reporters that he would first visit a deity “that I hold faith in.” He reportedly visited the Nonavinakere Ajjayya temple before heading to the resort in Bidadi where 43 Gujarat MLAs are camping.
Health and Family Welfare Minister K R Ramesh Kumar, who had a hushed conversation with Shivakumar on the Soudha stairs, said the raid “erodes public confidence in the Income Tax department.” He pointed out that all politicians, including Shivakumar, declare their assets before contesting elections. “Why is it that nobody checks where and how the assets come from,” he asked. “Look at the vulgar display of wealth during marriages on Palace Grounds or the educational institutions that fleece money or corporates - why are they not touched? Selective targetting of people leads to loss of public trust in government agencies,” he warned.
‘Raided for hosting MLAs’
Meanwhile, senior Congress MLA from Gujarat Shaktisinh Gohil said I-T raids were conducted on Shivakumar for playing host to the Gujarat MLAs.
“It is unprecedented that raids were conducted for three days. It was done because he (Shivakumar) played a host to us,” he told reporters after meeting Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan on a courtesy visit. The MLAs came to Raj Bhavan in a state-owned Airavat bus. They returned to the resort near Bidadi after visiting Vidhana Soudha.
Further, Gohil questioned the timing of the raids and accused the Centre of indulging in dirty politics. “Why the raids were done when we were staying there (resort near Bengaluru)? They (I-T officials) could have conducted the raids before our arrival. Or they could have done it later,” he stated, adding that the raids were meant to instil fear among the Gujarat MLAs.
He said MLAs from Gujarat have come here in order to fight for democracy. The BJP had been trying to woo them by offering a bribe of Rs 15 crore each. Efforts are still being made to reach the MLAs. But, all the Congress MLAs are united. The legislators have been instructed to record phone calls if the BJP tries to induce them, he added.
He said the BJP workers attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who was visiting flood-affected places in Gujarat. “He (Rahul) was attacked despite SPG protection. Imagine what would have happened to us, if we had stayed in Gujarat. The BJP should be ashamed of the cheap politics it is indulging in,” he said.
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