'Enforcement Directorate should look into asset affidavits'

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) should make use of the affidavits of assets and liabilities filed by poll contestants and nab politicians who have accumulated wealth dissproportionate to their known sources of income, senior Congress leader Ramesh Kumar said on Wednesday.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) should take the affidavits seriously and ensure that the ED conducts a probe. Candidates would have given all their details in the affidavit. It will be the easiest way of catching corrupt politicians. But, it is unfortunate that the ECI and the ED are not making use of it, he said while participating in the discussion on motion of thanks to the governor’s address in the Assembly on Wednesday. Earlier, Basavarajraya Reddy (Congress) said corruption has dealt a severe blow to the development and the Siddaramaiah government has an immense responsibility to cleanse the system.