PSI scam: Priyank Kharge refuses to appear before CID

Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge on Monday said he will not appear before the CID, amid a political slugfest over the investigating agency asking the former minister to submit evidence on the police sub-inspector recruitment scam.

On Sunday, the CID had issued a notice asking Kharge to appear on Monday with evidence to aid the ongoing investigation into the recruitment scam.

“I took legal opinion and I’m told it’s not a must to appear in person. Whatever I have to say I will give in writing,” Kharge told a news conference. “I’m neither an accused nor a witness. Why did I get a notice? This shows how incompetent this government and the home department are."

The CID notice stated that Kharge had, on April 23, claimed at a news conference of having proof of irregularities in the recruitment scam. “I never claimed to have done investigative journalism or a sting operation. Whatever I have spoken is based on information already available in the public domain,” he said.

Kharge asked why no notice had been issued to Home Minister Araga Jnanendra for having met Divya Hagaragi, an accused in the scam. “Why wasn’t a notice issued to the Gulbarga MP (Umesh Jadhav) who recommended making the Jnana Jyothi institution an exam centre? I’ve been given a notice just to divert attention,” he said, accusing the BJP of playing with the lives of 57,000 job-seekers.

“The money trail will lead beyond Kalaburagi. It will even lead to Vidhana Soudha and BJP MLAs and ministers,” Kharge claimed.

Kharge found support in Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah. “The notice to Kharge...implies that BJP is trying to silence everyone speaking on the scam. Corruption is part of BJP's DNA, and no lies can deny this. Investigating agencies may be with BJP, but people are with us,” Siddaramaiah said.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra, in a statement, slammed Kharge for not appearing before the CID. “After having claimed to have proof, he is now giving a childish excuse that he has none. He’s choosing escapism instead of cooperating with the CID,” Jnanendra said, adding that it was he who ordered a CID probe to ensure justice to honest candidates.

“Not appearing before the CID to share evidence raises the suspicion that [Kharge] wants to protect his aides who have been arrested,” the minister said.

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