BJP wooing minister Shivakumar, says Siddaramaiah, saffron party denies
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said that "attempts" by BJP to woo senior minister D K Shivakumar, under Income Tax department scanner, would not succeed even as the saffron party dismissed the allegation as a ploy to create confusion.
"He is a Congressman by birth, he began his political career in Congress... so BJPs attempts will not work with him. Attempts through IT will also not work. Shivakumar will not budge to such things," he told reporters in Hubballi. He was replying to a question about media reports that the BJP was wooing Energy Minister Shivakumar to join the party with "implicit threat" of further I-T action if he failed to defect.
Rubbishing the claim, BJP state unit chief B S Yeddyurappa ruled out Shivakumar joining the party and said it was an attempt to create confusion.
"It is a political ploy by the chief minister out of malice to create confusion," he said in response to a question on the issue by reporters in Mangaluru.
Shivakumar is currently under the I-T department scanner in connection with raids conducted at various properties linked to him in August for alleged tax evasion.
To
a
specific
question
about
Shivakumar
reportedly
being
lured
with
deputy
chief
ministers
post
in
the
event
of
the
BJP
coming
to
power
in
the
assembly
polls
due
early
next
year,
Siddaramaiah
said,
"Can
they
succeed
in
luring
a
Congressman?.
Is
he
(Shivakumar)
not
in
power
now?"
"There
is
no
such
position
called
deputy
chief
minister
constitutionally,
the
post
is
just
a
political
arrangement,"
he
added.
Meanwhile,
the
I-T
department
here
has
issued
a
strong
denial
as
they
refuted
the
claims
made
by
Siddaramaiah.
A
statement
issued
by
it
said
they
are
"a
professional
and
politically
neutral
department
and
the
searches
carried
out
have,
without
exception,
resulted
in
admission
and
detection
of
previously
undisclosed
income
running
into
hundreds
of
crores
of
rupees
and
seizure
of
large
amounts
of
cash
and
jewellery."
The statement made by the chief minister, it said is "factually baseless and is strongly denied".
"No Income Tax officer or official has at any point of time made any such statement to the Minister (Sivakumar) or to anyone else," it added.
Shivakumars properties were searched for three consecutive days in connection with a tax evasion case.
During the I-T raids at about 66 places across the country, the department officials claimed they had seized cash and jewellery worth over Rs 15 crore.
Shivakumar had on November 6 appeared along with his family members before I-T officials here for questioning. It was his seventh such appearance.
Siddaramaiah also claimed that many from BJP were in touch with him to join the Congress.
"We are checking if they are from RSS background. We will not take them if they are from RSS, because they are communal..., he alleged. PTI KSU RA VS TVS NES ZMN