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.






 


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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'.