‘Illegal transfer of funds’: Have not sought minister Nagendra’s resignation, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha, Siddaramaiah said the government will wait for a report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the case. The illegal transfer of funds had come to light following the suicide of a Corporation employee last week.

Siddaramaiah also dismissed BJP allegations that the government was reluctant to sack the minister as he had threatened to expose everyone involved in the scam.

The BJP has set a deadline of June 6 for the Congress government to remove the minister from the Cabinet, failing which it will stage protests across the state.

It has also demanded a CBI probe into the issue, to which Home Minister G Parameshwara said recently that the government would not hand over the probe to the central agency at this stage.

Meanwhile, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy said that Siddaramaiah should bear responsibility for the illegal transfer of funds. “There is a conspiracy to blame Nagendra for the scam.

There is a suspicion that the entire state Cabinet was involved,” he said.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the illegal transfer of funds to 14 accounts in Telangana was done at the behest of the Congress high command. “This shows that the Congress has sent money from Karnataka for elections in various states,” he said.

BJP Karnataka president Vijayendra said the funds were transferred to accounts of fictitious companies. “The amount was misused for elections from these accounts,” he said. Although the Union Bank of India sought a CBI probe into the issue, the state government hurriedly formed the SIT to cover up its wrongdoing, he alleged.

Nagendra, however, has denied his role in the scam.