‘Will an influential person…’: Karnataka Dy CM comes to Parameshwara’s rescue, says Rs15-25 lakh to Ranya Rao may be ‘gift’
Earlier Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah termed the searches "vendetta politics" against a Dalit leader
Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara. (Source: File) 
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As the Congress-led Karnataka government finds itself in murky waters following the ED raids at institutions linked to Home Minister G Parameshwara, its leaders have rallied in support of him. After Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah termed the searches “vendetta politics” against a Dalit leader, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has come out strongly in support of Parameshwara, calling him a “clean and honest man”.
Addressing the media, Shivakumar said: “If she (Rao) has done anything wrong, let her be punished in accordance with the law.” Lauding Parameshwara for the “services he has done for the state,” Shivakumar said: “As far as Parameshwara is concerned, he is a law-abiding citizen, he is the Home Minister of the state, we are proud of him, he is a big leader. He was party president for eight years; he has done a lot of service to the state. He has been an MLA since 1989 with me; he has been a Minister. He is a clean and honest man…He will answer.”
Shivakumar, who interacted with Parameshwara following the raids, went on to defend Parameshwara saying his Cabinet colleague might have given Rs 15-25 lakh to Rao. Posing the question whether an influential person like Parameshwara would encourage Rao to indulge in illegal activities like smuggling, Shivakumar said gifts might have been given at a family event or marriage.
“I spoke to Parameshwara, I visited him in the morning. He has given Rs 15-25 lakh, we are in public life, many run trusts. At a family event or marriage, gifts might have been given. Will an influential person like Parameshwara encourage her to indulge in illegal things like smuggling,” asked Shivakumar.
The Enforcement Directorate searched 16 institutions linked to Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday, allegedly in connection with the gold smuggling case involving Kannada actor Ranya Rao. These included institutions owned by Parameshwara — the Sri Siddhartha Medical College and Sri Siddhartha Institute of Technology in Tumakuru and Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences in Nelamangala on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
According to ED sources, the raids focused on those who allegedly facilitated illegal foreign exchange transactions for gold procurement. A source said: “Several persons have admitted to dealings with Ranya Rao. The buyers have admitted to having bought gold from her and selling it to jewelers. A few persons and entities provided routing funds to Ranya’s accounts without any genuine business transactions.”
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According to ED sources, an educational institution allegedly diverted funds and made a payment of Rs 40 lakh towards Rao’s credit card bill. No supporting vouchers or documentation were found to substantiate this payment.
Rao was arrested at the Bengaluru airport on March 3 for allegedly smuggling 14.2 kg of gold worth Rs 12.56 crore. The ED had registered a case of money laundering against her.
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