ED searches: Will not not support any violation of law, says CM Siddaramaiah

Chikkaballapura: Commenting on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducting searches against a Congress MP and three MLAs, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said his government will not support any violation of the law, nor will come in the way of implementation of law.

The ED conducted searches against Congress Ballari MP E Tukaram and three MLAs of the party as part of a money laundering investigation into the alleged Valmiki scam-linked money laundering case, official sources said.

"What should I do? The ED has conducted raids. Let them do whatever they want in accordance with the law. We will not support any violation of law. We will not come in the way of the implementation of the law. We won't obstruct it," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.

The ED said five premises in Ballari and three in Bengaluru city are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These include houses belonging to Tukaram and MLAs Nara Bharath Reddy (Bellary city), J N Ganesh (Kampli) and N T Srinivas (Kudligi).

The sources said the searches are being conducted in order to gather evidence on the allegation that funds siphoned off from the accounts of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation (KMVSTDC) were used for election expenses -- to distribute cash to voters and Congress workers of the Ballari seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.