Bengaluru, 23 July

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday accused the Centre of using the central agencies to destabilise the Congress government by implicating him illegally in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation scam.

Siddaramaiah made the allegations during an agitation by the Congress legislators near the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the Vidhana Soudha premises against the ED's alleged highhandedness while probing Rs 187 crore irregularities in the Valmiki Corporation.

The ED summoned Additional Director of Social Welfare Department B Kallesh for investigation and put pressure on him to give in writing that the chief minister was involved in this scam, Siddaramaiah claimed. "The ED people have forced Kallesh to mention my name and also other ministers that, on the direction of the chief minister, Rs 43.33 cr has been released from the treasury," he alleged. "We have no connection with that (scam). Neither me nor the finance department have any role in that. Kallesh has been threatened and abused because they (ED) want to implicate my name illegally," he said.

The Chief Minister said a case has been registered against the ED officials based on a complaint by Kallesh. He has explained the sequence of events, he added. "The Centre wants to destabilise the state government, target me, tarnish my image and create an impression among people of the state that we are against SC/ST," Siddaramaiah alleged.

He said the Congress has always been in favour of SC/ST and the weaker section, farmers and labourers. "Yet, their (Centre's) objective is to weaken the Congress government in Karnataka for which they have chosen the wrong path. I want to make it clear that neither the finance department nor the chief minister are anywhere related to this scam," Siddaramaiah clarified.

He charged that many scams took place during the BJP's rule, but ED did not come into the picture. "The ED and CBI are trying to destabilise the government against which we have staged a demonstration today. We will raise this issue in the Karnataka Assembly and Council. This is a very dangerous move in democracy," Siddaramaiah said.

Stating that the investigation should happen as per law, the chief minister said he condemned action taken by the central agencies with a political motive. He added that he has spoken to the party high command which will take a decision.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, ministers and legislators took part in the agitation. Holding placards, they raised slogans against the Centre.

The Congress staged agitation after the Wilson Garden police registered a case based on a complaint lodged by Kallesh against two ED officers, Murali Kannan and 'Mittal'. He alleged that the officers threatened and abused him to name the chief minister in the scam.

Former Minister B Nagendra is in jail in connection with the scam after the ED arrested him. The scam came to light after Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation's Accounts Superintendent Chandrasekharan P died by suicide. In his suicide note, he alleged that there was an illegal transfer of money from the Valmiki Corporation's bank accounts.