Valmiki Corporation 'Scam': BJP Demands Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's Resignation, CBI Investigation

The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case, while the Union Bank of India has referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The BJP argued that the SIT cannot conduct an impartial investigation due to the involvement of high-ranking officials, including the Chief Minister, Ministers, and MLAs

Source : Facebook/Siddaramaiah

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has called for the resignation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with an alleged Rs 87 crore fraud involving the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited (KMVSTDCL) and the transfer of the case to Central Bureau of Investigation. The demand of the BJP comes at a time when the controversy has already led to the resignation of State Tribal Welfare Minister B. Nagendra.

On Saturday, the BJP shared an affidavit on 'X' (formerly Twitter) purportedly from "accused number 8" in the case, which was submitted to the court. The affidavit's lawyer requested the court to direct the investigating officer to secure and preserve CCTV footage from several key locations and dates. This includes footage from near the Higher Education Minister's chamber in Vidhana Soudha on May 24, 2024, and all footage from the Union Bank of India's MG Road Branch from March 1, 2024, to June 1, 2024, as reported by PTI.

Additionally, they requested a mirror image of the phone seized from "accused No.8" and preservation of WhatsApp chats between "accused No.8" and a contact named "Basavanagouda Daddal," along with relevant digital evidence.

ಮಹರ್ಷಿ ವಾಲ್ಮೀಕಿ ನಿಗಮದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಅವ್ಯವಹಾರ @INCKarnataka ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಆದಿಯಾಗಿ ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ಸಿನ ಬಹುತೇಕ ನಾಯಕರು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು ಮಾಡಿರುವ ಮಹಾನ್ ಭ್ರಷ್ಟಾಚಾರ.

ಈ ಪ್ರಕರಣದ 8 ನೇ ಆರೋಪಿ, ಎಸ್ಐಟಿ ತನಿಖೆ ಸರಿಯಾದ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು,
1. ತನ್ನ ಮೊಬೈಲ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಗಮದ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಬಸವರಾಜ್… pic.twitter.com/xcePyiEACh

— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) June 8, 2024

 

Basavanagouda Daddal, a Raichur Rural Congress MLA, and Chairman of KMVSTDCL, is implicated in the allegations.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case, while the Union Bank of India has referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The BJP argued that the SIT cannot conduct an impartial investigation due to the involvement of high-ranking officials, including the Chief Minister, Ministers, and MLAs. "It is impossible for the SIT to conduct an impartial investigation into this scam involving the Chief Minister, Ministers, and MLAs. Therefore, the BJP demands that Siddaramaiah should hand over the case to the CBI, resign, and cooperate with the investigation," the party stated on 'X'.