State BJP spokesperson and former minister S Suresh Kumar on Monday claimed that there is evidence to prove the role of a senior minister in the Siddaramaiah Cabinet, in the cash scam involving two top engineers who were recently raided by the Income Tax department.
Addressing the media in Bengaluru, Kumar said that a “prominent politician”, (who he later clarified was a senior minister), was the mastermind behind the scam. It is the minister who had prevailed upon a bank manager to part with the huge sum of cash to the officials, most of it in brand new currency notes, he said.
Kumar said that the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigations would reveal the involvement of more engineers as well as IAS and IPS officers in the cash scam.
‘Names divulged’
The BJP leader said that suspended officers T N Chikkarayappa and S C Jayachandra who were caught in possession of ill-gotten wealth, have themselves divulged to the investigation officers, the names of those who are behind the cash scam.
This also included names of some ministers. Kumar said that there is also evidence of a telephonic conversation between two ministers in this regard.
Terming the Public Works Department ‘pilferage without detection’ department, Kumar said that it was a bottomless pit for corrupt activities. “The officials are now under the scanner because of being in wrong company. They are very close to certain ministers. It is little wonder how these two gained such high postings,” the former law minister added. However, he did not reveal the names of the ministers and officers.
Stating that the cash scam had brought shame to Karnataka, the BJP leader dismissed JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy’s charges that the two officials were nurtured by the BJP, when the party was in power.
Rayanna brigade meet
Kumar said that BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Muralidhar Rao has told the party leaders in the state not to participate in the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade’s convention to be held at Nandgad in Belagavi on Tuesday. “This is the party’s stand. If any leader were to participate in the convention, then the party will take action against them,” he added.
ACB registers FIRs against 2 officials
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday registered FIRs against Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd managing director T N Chikkarayappa and Karnataka State Highway Development Project, Chief Project Officer, S C Jayachandra for owning disproportionate assets.
ACB officials said that the FIRs were registered after receiving a preliminary enquiry report from the Income Tax Department. The state government had suspended Chikkarayappa and Jayachandra after they were caught in possession of huge cash during the Income Tax raids.
An ACB official said the FIRs have been registered under section 13 (1) (d) and (e) of Prevention of Corruption Act. “The FIR is only with regard to assets found in the possession of the duo. We have credible information that they have assets disproportionate to their known of sources of income,'' he added.
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