Bengaluru, 29 Sept

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday demanded the resignation of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after a case was registered against her in Bengaluru, following a court direction for allegedly extorting money through now scrapped electroal bonds.

He alleged that companies which incurred huge losses have made significant donations to  BJP through the Electoral Bond scheme and the court found valid grounds to direct the police to register an FIR against Sitharaman and others.

“If you have morality, then drive out former BJP Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and his son BY Vijayendra who is the BJP State President. Expel Sitharaman, (leader of opposition in the Karnataka assembly) R Ashoka and BJP MLA Munirathna,” Kharge said in a press conference.

Vijayendra, party leader Nalin Kumar Kateel have also been named in the FIR.

The Supreme Court too had called the Electoral Bond scheme as unconstitutional, he said.

According to Kharge, 33 companies running at a loss of Rs one lakh crore have donated Rs 576.2 crore to the BJP.

Further, six companies which have shown a positive net profit have donated Rs 646 crore to the saffron party, which is more than their aggregate net profit.

Three companies, which had positive net profit but reported negative direct taxes, have donated Rs 193.8 crore to BJP, he claimed.

Kharge took a dig at some BJP leaders for their alleged statement that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi were into money laundering and they should be jailed first.

“You (BJP) have been in power for the past 11 years. What did you do all these years?” the minister asked.

He further charged Vijayendra with being involved in money laundering through shell companies based out of Kolkata and other places. -PTI