Gadag (Karnataka): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has claimed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara were the result of factionalism within the Congress’s Karnataka unit.
Joshi said a faction of the ruling Congress in Karnataka had provided all the information to the ED, which led to raids on institutions linked to Parameshwara.
The ED raided 16 locations on Wednesday and Thursday, some linked to Parameshwara, including Siddhartha Institute of Technology and Siddhartha Medical College.
“The Congress’s own complained to the Enforcement Directorate,” said Joshi, adding: “Who is writing letters to the Enforcement Directorate to take action?”
“A faction within the Congress is sending information against Parameshwar and now doing drama. Let me say this clearly, we respect Parameshwara. He is a decent politician. But there are people within the Congress who are sending complaints. Siddaramaiah knows. The intelligence is under him. Ask him. Now he is doing drama,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
He further said that the ED raids were not conducted against him because he is the Karnataka Home Minister or a Congress leader.
After Ranya Rao’s arrest at Bengaluru airport on March 3, unverified reports surfaced linking her to various politicians, including current and former ministers.
The BJP later accused the Congress of involvement in the smuggling case after a photo emerged showing Parameshwara and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at her wedding.
During its probe, the ED traced a money trail between Ranya Rao and the medical college linked to Parameshwara and was reviewing the institution’s financial records.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar on Thursday confirmed a financial transaction between Home Minister G Parameshwara’s institution and actor Ranya Rao, the main accused in a gold smuggling case, but clarified it was a wedding gift.
After the ED raids, the Deputy CM said: “I just spoke to Parameshwara, there was a marriage (ceremony), we are in public life, we run institutions. As a gesture to people we know, we give lots of gifts, we give Re 1, Rs 10, Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh. I think he might have also given a gift. It was a marriage, nothing wrong in it.”
The Congress accused the opposition BJP of politicising the gold smuggling case to attack the ruling party.
