Haveri (Karnataka) [India], September 12 : BJP MP and former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said there was no need for the Chief Minister to politicise the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid on Karnataka Minister Satish Jarkiholi, asserting that the matter would ultimately be decided in court.
Speaking in Haveri on the ED raid, Bommai said the Chief Minister was trying to bring politics into the matter and stressed that the issue should be left to the court.
He said, "The Chief Minister is trying to bring politics into this. But it is not possible to bring in politics. Whatever it is, it will be decided in the court. Therefore, there is no need for the CM to do politics."
Responding to Congress leaders' statement that the BJP did not know cloud seeding, Bommai referred to the CAG report on cloud seeding in 2000.
He said, "Yes, Congress people have a lot of knowledge. They are all scientists of cloud seeding. Tell them to take out and see the CAG report on cloud seeding in 2000."
On Congress leaders' allegation that the BJP government had changed drought study norms, Bommai highlighted the difference in compensation for dryland farming during the UPA government and under his government.
"During the UPA government, Rs 2,000 per hectare was given as compensation for dryland farming. Our government made it Rs 6,500. Tell them to understand that," he said.
Meanwhile, MP Govind Karjol said he did not agree with the claim that the ED raid on Satish Jarkiholi was politically motivated.
He said ED, CBI and Income Tax are constitutional institutions and referred to investigations carried out during previous Congress governments.
"Even during Nehru's time, there were ED, IT raids, CBI, and serious fraud cases were investigated, can all that be called political? It happened during Indira Gandhi's time also, during Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh's time also. ED, CBI, IT are all constitutional institutions. ED does not bow down to anyone's pressure or wait. They don't do anything without documents. I deny that it is politically motivated. As an MP, I do not agree that this ED raid is politically motivated," said Govind Karjol.
Karjol said he could not comment on the outcome of the investigation against Jarkiholi or say whether the minister would give a response to the ED action.
"I cannot say that Satish Jarkiholi will give a befitting reply to the ED raid. I cannot say anything about the investigation. I have seen Satish Jarkiholi closely; I have also worked as the Belagavi district in-charge minister. But I cannot say anything about the investigation. In the Constitution of India, there is one law for the backward and the same law for the forward," said MP Govind Karjol.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residences of Karnataka PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi and his daughter, Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Jarkiholi.
The Enforcement Directorate is also conducting searches at the residence of the minister's brother-in-law, Y Manjunath, among 18 places.
According to the agency, this case is not related to the alleged excise case against Manjunath but is a separate alleged money laundering case against Satish Jarkiholi.
The agency began its operation based on certain inputs in close coordination with security forces, covering the premises of suspects linked to the case being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.