Complaining that the central government is using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to subvert the state government, Revenue Minister Krishnabyre Gowda said that the ED pressured the arrestees to name high-ranking government officials involved in the Valmiki Development Corporation scam.
He made a serious allegation of imposing and putting pressure. Speaking at a joint press conference with IT Minister Priyanka Kharge, Energy Minister of Karnataka KJ George, and State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundurao, Krishna Bhairegowda said that opposition to the central government ED is being misused to level parties. He accused the center of trying to destabilize the elected government of the state. Complaining that the government is conducting a surgical strike-through investigative agencies, he said, ED is to topple the Congress government in the state by exploiting it. He condemned the efforts of the central government. The BJP, which lost power in the last assembly elections, used leftist channels. A one-party empire is being built in the country.
IT Minister Priyank Kharge alleged that from Arunachal Pradesh to Karnataka the BJP has used ED, IT and CBI to target opposition parties and facilitate defections. This misuse of power undermines democratic principles. Energy Minister KJ George said the government’s commitment is to impartial investigation without any interference. Multiple agencies are involved to ensure transparency, he added.
Krishna Byre Gowda lashed out that the opposition is attacking the parties like a surgical strike by using it. The central government, which has tried to subvert the state government by using ED, is putting pressure on those arrested in the Valmiki scam to name those at the highest level of the government in this scam. He complained that the Center has started to destabilize the elected government through this. The detainees have been threatened that they will have to show their strength. ED has no intention of finding the culprits in this scam.
He emphasized that the only intention is to topple the Congress government in the state. He warned that we would fight legally and in the streets if necessary. The Congress government of Karnataka is being targeted, he added. The Minister further added that the intention of the center is to implicate congress leaders in this scam and create an atmosphere of insecurity. In the joint press conference, Priyanka Kharge, KJ George, and Dinesh Gundurao, Krishna Bhairegowda said that we will not tolerate misuse of investigation agencies including ED, CBI, and Income Tax department.