No cash seized, says D K Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh, on Thursday claimed the Income Tax department had not seized any cash from the home and office of his brother and minister D K Shivakumar after the raids on Wednesday. He described the raids as “an attempt to weaken the Congress” ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.
“No cash was seized from Shivakumar’s home and office. Such lies were peddled to tarnish the image of my brother and the Congress party,” Suresh told DH. “All the money is accounted for. In fact, Shivakumar paid Rs 4-5 crore in taxes last year. The money supposedly found in the homes of his friends and others is not ours,” he asserted.
Income Tax authorities raided as many as 60 locations linked to Shivakumar, including Suresh’s residences in Bengaluru and New Delhi. “I-T authorities found Rs 23 lakh in cash in my Delhi home and I’m ready to explain it. We have nothing to hide,” he said.
The Income Tax raids have not dented the party’s image either, Suresh said.
“The raids are a testimony to the cheap tricks of the BJP. Our party will give the BJP a fitting reply,” he said.
With DKS away, Parameshwara, Dinesh visit resort housing Guj MLAs
KPCC president G Parameshwara and working president Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday visited the resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru where Gujarat Congress MLAs have been staying for the last six days.
The duo arrived in the same car and interacted with the legislators. As many as 43 Gujarat MLAs have been housed at the resort since Saturday to protect them from being ‘poached’ by the BJP ahead of the August 8 Rajya Sabha polls.
Sources said the legislators appreciated the role played by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar in organising the logistics for their stay. It was unfortunate that the BJP was using the Income Tax department as a weapon to conduct raids on the minister, they stated.
Earlier in the day, two MLAs were rushed to BGS Global Hospital, Kengeri, after they complained of uneasiness, sources said. Joita Bhai Patel complained of feeling feverish, while Rajendrasinh Chavda complained of low blood pressure. The duo underwent check-ups and a few tests at the hospital and returned to the resort a few hours later. Both are doing fine now, the sources added.
An MLA visited a Sai Baba temple near the resort to pay his obeisance. The legislator is said to have insisted that he be allowed to visit the temple as he was an ardent devotee of Sai Baba and had made it a custom to pay his obeisance every Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Parameshwara said the Gujarat legislators are the guests of the state Congresss and it was the duty of the party to play host. “On Friday, the state Congress representatives will brief them about the achievements of the Karnataka government. Various programmes implemented by the state government will also be highlighted,” he said.
The arrival of a bus at the resort early on Thursday morning led to speculation among the media waiting outside that the legislators will be shifted. However, it later turned out that it was a film unit which wanted to shoot some additional shots for the upcoming movie ‘Raju – Kannada Medium,’ starring Sudeep in a guest role.
The JD(S) rebel MLA from Magadi, H C Balakrishna also visited the resort and interacted with the legislators.
