A case has been filed against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and others on the orders of a Bengaluru Special Court over charges of extortion involving the now-defunct electoral bonds scheme.
The case was submitted by Adarsh Iyer of the Janaadhikara Sangharsha Sanghatane (JSP), who accused Ms Sitharaman and others of organizing an extortion ring using electoral bonds.
A complaint filed in Bengaluru names not only Nirmala Sitharaman but also BJP President JP Nadda, former BJP Karnataka president Nalin Kumar Kateel and the party’s current state chief BY Vijayendra. The First Information Report registered at the Tilaknagar Police Station in the city, however, mentions only Ms Sitharaman, unnamed Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, “office bearers and others, national level” of the BJP, Mr Kateel and Mr Vijayendra, and unnamed state office bearers of the BJP. The sections mentioned in the FIR pertain to extortion and criminal conspiracy.
The complaint alleges that corporate entities were coerced into purchasing electoral bonds to the tune of thousands of crores, citing raids conducted by the ED as a pressure tactic. These electoral bonds were purportedly cashed by BJP leaders at both national and state levels.
Mr Siddaramaiah, under pressure due to an FIR filed against him in the ongoing Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land allotment case, questioned why senior leaders like Ms Sitharaman and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, also facing a corruption probe, are not being asked to resign. He said that if he is expected to step down, the same standards should apply to Ms Sitharaman and other BJP leaders facing FIRs.
The Lokayukta police have registered an FIR against Mr Siddaramaiah, his wife, and other family members over the alleged illegal allotment of MUDA sites.
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Source: NDTV
